Former actor, California governor reported in stable condition, good spirits
Former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger was reported in stable condition after undergoing heart surgery in Los Angeles, spokesman Daniel Ketchell said. His first words after waking from the procedure, said Ketchell, were: “I’m back.”
Schwarzenegger, 70, underwent a planned procedure Thursday (March 29) at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center to replace a pulmonic valve that was originally replaced in 1997 for a congenital heart defect, Ketchell said. “That 1997 replacement valve was never meant to be permanent, and has outlived its life expectancy, so he chose to replace it… through a less-invasive catheter valve replacement,” Ketchell said.
The spokesman said an open-heart surgery team was on hand during the procedure, but he downplayed its seriousness. “They frequently are in these circumstances, in case the catheter procedure was unable to be performed,” Ketchell said. “Governor Schwarzenegger’s pulmonic valve was successfully replaced.”
Update: @Schwarzenegger is awake and his first words were actually “I’m back”, so he is in good spirits. https://t.co/bJ4pxqS8l6
Schwarzenegger was recovering from surgery Friday, remained in stable condition and was “in good spirits,” Ketchell said.
Best known in the 1980s and ’90s as a former “Mr. Universe” and for his roles in action movies such as “The Terminator” and “Total Recall,” Schwarzenegger, a native of Austria, transitioned from Hollywood star to politician when he successfully ran for California governor as a Republican. From 2003 to 2011, he served two terms as governor and was nicknamed “The Governator.”
It was in “The Terminator” that Schwarzenegger’s character utters what became a famous line: “I’ll be back.”
Since leaving the governor’s office, he has mixed acting and politics. Over the past year, Schwarzenegger has emerged as a vocal opponent of Donald Trump, publicly criticizing the president’s decision to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement and lambasting the president’s equivocation after violence at a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, killed a counterprotester.
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He also was the host of NBC television’s “New Celebrity Apprentice,” an iteration of the unscripted show that formerly starred Trump. (Instead of “You’re fired,” Schwarzenegger’s tagline was “You’re terminated.”)
Schwarzenegger’s TV gig and outspoken criticism of Trump made him a target of the president’s insults on Twitter and elsewhere. At the National Prayer Breakfast last year, Trump asked for attendees to pray for Schwarzenegger’s ratings.
In a video, Schwarzenegger responded to Trump’s jabs with a proposal: “Hey Donald, I have a great idea. Why don’t we switch jobs?” Schwarzenegger said. “You take over TV because you’re such an expert in ratings, and I take over your job and then people can finally sleep comfortably again.”
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Story by Amy Wang.
