Oscar-winning actor and comedian Robin Williams gave the Cleveland Clinic a heartfelt thank you in an appearance on the "Late Show with David Letterman" Wednesday night.
Williams, 57, took to the stage of Letterman's late-night CBS show to open up about his March 13 heart surgery at the Clinic.
Williams thanked his fans and his doctors at the Clinic, which he recommended to Letterman, who had a quintuple bypass in January 2000.
"If you ever can, have it done there," Williams told Letterman, who replied, "Oh, God, I don't want to have it done again. I've had it done once. I'm not going back."
Wearing a black T-shirt decorated with a white heart, Williams said that he and Letterman "are now brotherhood of the zipper chests." Williams said he noticed something was wrong with his heart when he "was on the road doing the tour and I kept getting short of breath. I realize now, shortness of breath is kind of code for 'heart problem,' just like exhaustion is code for 'alcoholic.' " When he went in for an angiogram, doctors saw his heart "valves were shot."
The surgery at the Clinic gave Williams' heart two new valves. "I have a cow valve, which is great, and the grazing's been fun," he told Letterman, "and I give a good quart of cream, too, my friend."