Singer/songwriter Zainal Abidin is recuperating at Pantai Medical Centre following a heart attack on Saturday.
An angioplasty was performed on the same day after a blockage of the main artery on the left side of his heart was found.
“There’s nothing to worry about. I’m okay now. I should be discharged this evening. I’m grateful everything has turned out fine. But now I’ll have to lead a more healthy lifestyle and go on a strict diet,” the 50-year-old told the New Straits Times over the phone.
He sounded quite chirpy, but his wife and manager Angelina Asmawi said Saturday was frightening.
She said they were at home and Zainal was having an afternoon nap when he woke up complaining of severe chest pains.
“He said he thought he was having a heart attack so we rushed to the Pantai emergency room, where they stabilised him because his blood pressure had shot up.
“The doctors did an angiogram to locate the blockage and confirmed that Zainal had had a heart attack. An hour later they performed an angioplasty to clear the blockage. The surgery lasted about 20 minutes,” said Anglina.
He was later taken to the intensive care unit (ICU) for two days of observation.