I watched them repeatedly.

"And it started to actually affect me.

The ''Late Show'' will broadcast reruns until Mr. Letterman's return. "I just assumed that if you're going to let yourself have open-heart surgery, it was going to be a flip of the coin, if you would survive or wouldn't survive. "Yeah, there's been back and forth," he said, "but I'm pretty sure that once it's finished there will be a time of introspection.

I have something nice to add about David Letterman. His co-owned racing team won the 2004 Indianapolis 500 in his beloved home state. Now when this is all taken away from me in a couple of days I don't know what will happen. Artery Blocked, Letterman Has Heart Bypass Surgery. Follow @StevePersall. Regis Philbin talks about David Letterman poking fun of his heart surgery. Dr. Isom performed similar surgery on Walter Cronkite in 1997, and on Larry King in 1987. The anniversary anecdotes he'd spin on the show. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking news. I'm so tired," David Letterman jokes with late night verve during an early evening phone call. Mr. Letterman's surgeon was Dr. O. Wayne Isom, chairman of cardiothoracic surgery at the New York Weill Cornell Center. Then his interview with Barbara Walters, another Zipper Club member. Dr. Martin Post, Mr. Letterman's cardiologist, said in the statement that it was too early to tell how long recovery would take, but that his prognosis for a speedy recovery was excellent because he was in good health and exercised regularly. Dave laughed in his heh-heh-heh way when I described mine as kind of like Ricardo Montalban in The Wrath of Khan.

For months, his staff told guests to lay off the farewell talk, at the host's request. In recent years, Letterman has been an annual visitor to St. Petersburg, joining the Rahal-Letterman-Lanigan team at the city's Grand Prix.

Now Playing: What Saved Barbara Walters' Life, Letterman jokes to Barbara Walters that new artery came from 'Ace Hardware. I've grown to love it.". Then the urge to pay tribute "started up like a furnace" and Letterman's staff told him to "just sit there and take it.".

"So I thought, well, let's see what nice thing this person has to say about me. It will be the first time that he is absent from the show for reasons other than vacations, his spokesman, Howard J. Rubenstein, said yesterday in a statement. Letterman's royal sendoff after 33 years of inventive television is deserved, if not preferred. Coming up in the next {{countdown}} {{countdownlbl}}. On his show, Mr. Letterman often jokes about his cholesterol levels and the oat bran he eats to help lower them.

"I'm tired, I'm very tired.

Full disclosure: Dave and I have something in common, along with hundreds of thousands of other Americans.

On retirement, WFLA's Gayle Sierens reflects on a lifetime in TV news.

We're all members of the Zipper Club, living longer lives through open-heart surgery. "Personally, what it did for me was it reawakened what should never have been taken from me, and it was what I did," he said. Two and a half years later, Letterman spoke to me at length about what the open- heart experience means to him. More tangibly, Letterman noted his marriage to Regina Lasko and the birth of their son, Harry, happened after heart surgery.

', {"duration":"3:00","description":"Letterman jokes to Barbara Walters that new artery came from 'Ace Hardware. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? You realize it's like a drunk: If one drink makes me feel great, what would a whole bottle do? Mr. Letterman, 52, had the emergency surgery after a test yesterday morning revealed that an artery leading to his heart was severely constricted. Within days, he e-mailed a kind, modest reply.

TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. "And number two: I'M 68 YEARS OLD.".

Fuller disclosure: David Letterman is the reason for my spirit-cleansing crying jag that doctors say to expect post-op. David Letterman, host of CBS's ''Late Show with David Letterman,'' had successful quintuple bypass heart surgery yesterday at New York Presbyterian Hospital, according to his publicist. Six thousand twenty-three pillow time talk shows down. Barbara Walters special: Surgeon explains surprising signs of heart disease. Minutes before, the abdicating king of late night heard another round of salty/sweet good-byes, taping The Late Show with David Letterman. ''Dave has the heart muscle of a 20-year-old,'' Dr. Isom said. 1 Heart Disease Sign for Women?

Thanks again for all the laughs, Dave, but especially for those tears. "So, for me that was a re-statement of something I had lost somewhere, which is: Yeah, people can do amazing things, they do it all the time, and you can have faith in your fellow man. CBS released a statement yesterday that said: ''We're thrilled that Dave's surgery went well.

He's the Cal Ripken of TV,'' said Mr. Rubenstein, referring to the Baltimore Orioles shortstop with the stellar attendance record. That didn't happen until I returned to work, stopping by the desk of Gretchen Letterman, Dave's sister and a former Tampa Bay Times editor. Dave handled his surgery the way I needed to, with humor and humility. The surgery took place in the afternoon. Spontaneously sobbing, I explained how her brother inspired me and asked a favor: Tell Dave thank you, please.

So, that was good.". Still, Letterman admits to having second thoughts along the way to Wednesday's concluding Late Show. "You must've paid for the triple-A job," he said. "The big difference is: Now my schedule will not be the overriding determinant of what we do and how we do it.". The "zipper" is the resulting scar down the centers of our chests.

Why he's my fave Dave. Then I think I will relax into what would be kind of a normal life.".

He predicted a rapid recovery, according to the statement. I think I got the Richard Simmons chest, I'm sorry.". Contact Steve Persall at spersall@tampabay.com or (727) 893-8365. "Like everything else, once I got a little bit of it I thought, 'oh, this is not so bad,' " Letterman said. ", "Well, I'm 68 years old, number one," Letterman says. Barbara Walters and celebrities open up on heart surgery special. "I didn't get the Ricardo Montalban chest. "Everything good that happened to me since then, I would've missed if I had dropped dead before they got me on the table," he said. He is a valued member of the CBS family and we love him. This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate. On Thursday, while taping the show that was broadcast last night, he chatted with Regis Philbin about going into the hospital for tests. One that's well-deserved. Cooped up at home, I found clips online from the Feb. 21, 2000, Late Show when Dave returned from quintuple bypass surgery, lining up the entire medical team to take bows.

Now Playing: No. https://abcnews.go.com/2020/video/david-letterman-heart-surgery-12815325 More tangibly, Letterman noted his marriage to Regina Lasko and the birth of their son, Harry, happened after heart surgery. David Letterman, host of CBS's ''Late Show with David Letterman,'' had successful quintuple bypass heart surgery yesterday at New York Presbyterian Hospital, according to his publicist. "It restored my faith in human beings.

"We want to go bonefishing," Letterman said.

Julia Roberts kissed him. Not about how he made audiences laugh, but how he made me cry. '', See the article in its original context from.

"That's one of our goals. What I realized was, yeah, you're going to survive because the men and women doing these things know exactly what they're doing, they do it all the time and they care about what they're doing. Now Playing: 'Bust Him Open Like a Lobster'. We are concerned first and foremost about his health, but we can't wait until he's back behind his desk where he belongs. Five more to go. Making more memories with Harry, 11, is a big reason Letterman is retiring. Yesterday morning, Mr. Letterman had an angiogram, which provides pictures of the interior of the heart, because he has high cholesterol levels and a family history of heart trouble (his father died of heart disease while still in his 50's).

'","mediaType":"default","section":"ABCNews/2020","id":"12815325","title":"David Letterman on His Heart Surgery","url":"/2020/video/david-letterman-heart-surgery-12815325"}.

''He has never missed a show since 1982. Mr. Letterman's show won Emmy Awards in 1994, 1998 and 1999 while he was affiliated with CBS, and the show won five while he was affiliated with NBC. "How are you? They're heading back to the Indy 500 later this month, spending time at their Montana home, fishing in the summer, skiing in the winter.