Profiles in Heart Disease: Larry King

(LifeWire) - Larry King's experience with heart disease didn't just change his life: It also improved the lives of many other cardiac patients, whose treatment has been funded by the foundation the talk-show icon created after his successful coronary bypass surgery two decades ago.

King was 53 in February 1987 when nagging chest and shoulder pain prompted him to go to the hospital, where he learned he was having a heart attack. Later that year, doctors advised him to undergo quintuple bypass surgery to avoid a second heart attack. About 260,000 Americans have this major lifesaving surgery every year, which re-routes blood flow through grafts, or replacement vessels, to bypass blocked vessels.

The main goal of bypass surgery is to prevent heart attacks. About 920,000 occur annually, killing 157,000. A total of about 80 million Americans suffer from some form of heart disease.

King, host of CNN's "Larry King Live" since 1985, also quit his three-pack-a-day cigarette habit and altered his diet. But those weren't his only heart disease risk factors: The Emmy winner's father and brother had suffered from heart disease, which killed his father when King was only 9.

"I was born with the wrong genes," King said in 2006. "You can't do anything about your genes, but you can improve your lifestyle. Keep active, work if you can. And finally, be a good patient and listen to the medical advice you're given."

King's experience prompted him to establish a non-profit organization to help cardiac patients who lack health insurance or the means to pay for the lifesaving treatment they need. He established the Larry King Cardiac Foundation in 1988, partnering with more than a dozen cardiac centers and companies nationwide to provide patients with cardiac devices and procedures free of charge.

King also released a book in 2004, "Taking on Heart Disease," in which he recruited other celebrities to recount their experiences. Proceeds from the book benefit King's foundation.

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