Filmmaker Kevin Smith, best known as the creative force behind the Clerks movies and the creator of the popular Jay and Silent Bob characters, revealed on social media early Monday morning that he had suffered a “massive heart attack,” following a stand-up show in Los Angeles on Sunday night.
Thankfully, he is alive and recovering.
Around 3 a.m. ET, Smith sent out a message on Twitter from the hospital. He later followed that up with a lengthier Instagram post explaining what had happened. In the latter, he also beautifully opened up about his life and his feelings potentially facing death in those moments.
After the first show this evening, I had a massive heart attack. The Doctor who saved my life told me I had 100% blockage of my LAD artery (aka “the Widow-Maker”). If I hadn’t canceled show 2 to go to the hospital, I would’ve died tonight. But for now, I’m still above ground! pic.twitter.com/M5gSnW9E5h
— KevinSmith (@ThatKevinSmith) February 26, 2018
The writer-director-comic had been in the midst of a two-show performance, Kevin Smith Live!, at the Alex Theatre in Glendale when he began feeling ill and opted to cancel the second show and go to the hospital.
“After the first show this evening, I had a massive heart attack,” Smith tweeted. “The Doctor who saved my life told me I had 100% blockage of my LAD artery (aka “the Widow-Maker”).”
Later, in the Instagram post, he wrote: “But this is what I learned about myself during this crisis: death was always the thing I was most terrified of in life. When the time came, I never imagined I’d ever be able to die with dignity – I assumed I’d die screaming, like my Dad (who lost his life to a massive heart attack). But even as they cut into my groin to slip a stent into the lethal Widow-Maker, I was filled with a sense of calm. I’ve had a great life: loved by parents who raised me to become the individual I am. I’ve had a weird, wonderful career in all sorts of media, amazing friends, the best wife in the world and an incredible daughter who made me a Dad. But as I stared into the infinite, I realized I was relatively content.”
In addition to his film and comedy work, Smith is also the main force behind AMC’s Comic Book Men. He is also set to help shepherd a small screen version of his 1995 comedy Mallrats, as well as direct a sequel to his 2001 cult classic Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, appropriately titled Jay and Silent Bob Get a Reboot.
Domestically, Smith’s films have grossed more than $206 million.
Get well soon!
