Ron Jeremy, one of the few porn industry figures to become a mainstream pop culture star, is fighting for his life in hospital today after suffering a heart aneurysm.
According to his manager, the 59-year-old drove himself to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles yesterday morning after suffering severe chest pains.
Mike Esterman said: “He just felt chest pains, like a very heavy weight… He is being worked on for an aneurysm near his heart.”
He added that the emergency surgery “went smoothly,” adding that Jeremy “is now resting with complete privacy and no visitors.”
Mr Jeremy, who has starred in over 2,000 adult films, became a mainstream star by appearing on the American reality television series “The Surreal Life” in 2004, and by being featured in an advertisement by animal-rights advocates PETA.
In a Twitter posting on Wednesday on his official account, Mr Jeremy's management said, “Please keep Ron in your thoughts and prayers for a speedy recovery.”
Nicknamed the “Hedgehog” for his short and hirsute body and known for wearing a large moustache, Jeremy’s memoir, “The Hardest (Working) Man in Showbiz,” was published in 2007.
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