Ray Romano reveals he had a heart procedure to avoid ‘widow maker’ heart attack

Ray Romano is opening up about a health scare that made him realize his heart was not as healthy as he believed it was.

The "Everyone Loves Raymond" alum, 65, revealed during an interview on the "WTF with Marc Maron" podcast that he underwent a heart procedure after learning that the main artery in his heart was 90% blocked.

"I just had to have a stent put in. I had 90% blockage," said Romano, adding that he felt "lucky" doctors discovered the blockage in time to treat it.

A significantly blocked main artery, also called the left anterior descending artery (LAD), can result in a "widow maker" heart attack, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

Romano also revealed during the interview that his cholesterol had been high for two decades, but whenever doctors advised him to take statins, he refused.

"Every time, I said, 'Let me do it myself.' And I would go home, and I would eat right. Not vegan, but a little healthier, and get it down a couple ticks," he explained.

But as soon as his healthier diet allowed his cholesterol to drop, Romano would think he was "hot s---" and start eating less healthy foods again, he said.

The actor and comedian now takes statins to lower his cholesterol — and has been pleased by the results. "Because I’m on the meds, my cholesterol dropped right away,” Romano said.

“If I could go back 20 years ago, I would have gone on the meds,” he continued, adding, “It's hard for me to sustain that diet stuff."

The Emmy winner, who told Maron that he is "pre-diabetic," said his body has sent him signals in recent years to let him know he’s getting older.

"I know in my head I don’t feel that old. In my body, I’m getting a couple of notices that I am that old," he said.

Earlier this month, Romano told "Entertainment Tonight" that he consulted his cardiologist after experiencing chest pains while directing and starring in his 2022 film, "Somewhere in Queens," which hits theaters on April 21.

“I called my agent at one in the morning because I couldn’t sleep, I go, ‘I can’t do it, can’t do this,’” said Romano. “Because — I’m not joking — I had to go to my cardiologist in New York and get on the treadmill and do a stress test because I was getting chest pains.”

This article was originally published on TODAY.com