Famed American filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola was reportedly hospitalized in Rome, sparking initial fears that he needed major heart surgery. His representative later clarified that the visit was for a scheduled, non-emergency medical procedure.
Initial local media reports had suggested a possible heart problem. However, Coppola later issued a statement reassuring fans that he was “well” and had simply undergone a routine procedure to update a long-standing treatment for atrial fibrillation, a condition that causes an irregular heartbeat.
A source revealed that the experience of being rushed to the hospital filled Coppola with “sheer terror,” as it triggered traumatic memories of surviving polio as a child. Coppola, who was nine years old at the time, was temporarily paralyzed by the infectious disease. He has often spoken about his childhood hospital experience, recalling hallways filled with gurneys, children crying in iron lungs, and the night his legs stopped working. The source noted that this emotional reaction was “almost more terrifying for him than his health scare.”
Coppola was in Italy to present his film Megalopolis at a film festival when he was taken to the hospital.
