'I had 90% blocked artery in my heart: Ray Romano opens up about his surgery, says he was 'lucky'
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Actor Ray Romano has shared about a recent health scare in a new interview. The 65-year-old revealed that his doctor warned him about the risk of a "widowmaker" heart attack which was caused by a 90% blocked artery in his heart. Fortunately, he underwent a procedure to prevent it from happening and described the experience as "lucky." During an episode of the 'WTF' with Marc Maron podcast, Ray said, "I had to have a stent put in. I got kinda lucky that we found it before having a heart attack." He also disclosed that he had been diagnosed as pre-diabetic.
Romano reflected on his recent heart health scare and admitted that he should have listened to his doctor's advice to take cholesterol-lowering medication. He explained, "I had high cholesterol 20 years ago, and my guy always told me, 'Why don't we start going on the statins?' And every time, I said, 'Let me do it myself.' And I would go home, and I would eat right. Not vegan, but a little healthier, and get it down a couple of ticks." However, Ray's attempts at managing his cholesterol through diet alone were not sustainable. He admitted, "But then I'd go home and think I was hot s***, I got it down already, and I'd start cheating, and cheating and that was the cycle." It wasn't until he experienced a heart scare that he finally agreed to take the medication, and he immediately saw the results. He said, "My cholesterol is down. If I could go back 20 years, I would have gone on the meds."
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Romano reflects on heart health scare
Romano's recent revelation about his heart health on the 'WTF' with Marc Maron podcast follows a previous scare he experienced while working on the film, Somewhere in Queens. In an interview with ET a couple of weeks ago, Ray recounted how he had to seek medical attention when he started experiencing chest pains. He told the outlet, "I called my agent at one in the morning because I couldn't sleep, I go, 'I can't do it, can't do this,' because -- I'm not joking -- I had to go to my cardiologist in New York and get on the treadmill and do a stress test because I was getting chest pains."
In the past, Romano has shared his shock over the heart attack that his Everybody Loves Raymond co-star, Peter Boyle, suffered on the CBS set back in 1999. Boyle played the role of Romano's on-screen father, Frank Barone. During filming, one of the assistant directors on set noticed that Boyle was coughing continuously and experiencing chest pains, recognizing the seriousness of his condition.
'Somewhere in Queens'
As Romano continues to recover from his recent heart scare, he is also looking forward to the release of his upcoming film, Somewhere in Queens. Speaking about the film, which is set to debut in theaters on April 21st, Ray said, "It's just a really sweet story about family and a guy who has a midlife crisis...and screws up." The movie also stars Laurie Metcalf as Ray's character's wife and features a talented cast of actors.
The film's plot revolves around a couple living in Queens, New York, and their son's success on a high school basketball team. Ray's character becomes obsessed with making his son's dreams a reality, causing tension and conflict within the family. According to IMDB, the story is about "a married couple living a simple life in Queens, NY, surrounded by their overbearing Italian-American family, [who] is plunged into chaos when their son finds success on his high school basketball team, and the father tears the family apart trying to make it happen."