Kevin Smith survives massive ‘widow-maker’ heart attack, posts selfie from hospital bed

Filmmaker Kevin Smith has survived what he called a “massive heart attack.”

The 47-year-old “Clerks” writer-director posted the news, along with a selfie taken in a hospital bed, early Monday.

“After the first show this evening, I had a massive heart attack,” he wrote. “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!”

According to E! News, Smith was filming a stand-up special, “Kevin Smith Live!,” at the Alex Theatre in Glendale, Calif., on Sunday. The shows were scheduled for 6 p.m. and 9 p.m.

The “Mallrats” director described what happened in a lengthy post on his Facebook page. “I was trying to do a killer standup special this evening but I might’ve gone too far,” he wrote.

He said after the first show he felt “kinda nauseous,” threw up a bit, then “started sweating buckets and my chest felt heavy. Turns out I had a massive heart attack.”

He got philosophical about how the scare changed his thinking about dying.

“But this is what I learned about myself during this crisis: death was always the thing I was most terrified of in life,” he wrote. “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. Yes, I’d miss life as it moved on without me - and I was bummed we weren’t gonna get to make #jayandsilentbobreboot before I shuffled loose the mortal coil.

“But generally speaking, I was okay with the end, if this was gonna be it. I’ve gotten to do so many cool things and I’ve had so many adventures - how could I be sh***y about finally paying the tab.”

Fans and fellow celebrities rushed to wish him love, support and prayers.

Smith lost 85 pounds after an incident in March 2010 when he was kicked off a Southwest Airlines flight after being told he was too large to fit into a single seat. He lost the first 65 pounds within a year of the headline-making incident.

“Because I was heavy, heavier people were just like ... ‘you know, you’re profiled, you look the part,’” Smith told Joy Behar in 2011.

“I felt, at that moment, I was like, you know what? I’ll lose the weight, but I’m not putting on thinner clothes.”

He told Behar he wasn’t entirely comfortable in his smaller body.

“I feel mixed feelings about losing the weight. I sympathize far more with heavier people than I ever will with thin (ones). I’ll never be thin,” he said.

He tweeted before-and-after photos in 2015 to show off the weight loss.

On Facebook Monday he thanked the “good folks at the Glendale hospital” and “total strangers” who helped save his life.

“This is all a part of my mythology now and I’m sure I’ll be facing some lifestyle changes (maybe it’s time to go Vegan),” he wrote. “But the point of this post is to tell you that I faced my greatest fear tonight ... and it wasn’t as bad as I’ve always imagined it’d be.

“I don’t want my life to end but if it ends, I can’t complain. It was such a gift. #KevinSmith.”

This story was originally published February 26, 2018 at 8:37 AM with the headline "Kevin Smith survives massive ‘widow-maker’ heart attack, posts selfie from hospital bed."