'ER' actor Deezer D, who played Nurse Malik McGrath for 15 seasons of the hit medical drama, underwent risky heart surgery this week to replace his aorta and fix a leaking valve.
RadarOnline is reporting that Deezer, a rapper-turned-actor whose real name is Dearon Thompson, was under the knife for six hours during the procedure. The surgery was done to prevent the same deadly heart problem that took the life of actor John Ritter in 2003.
A friend of Deezer tells RadarOnline that "he'll be in the ICU for the next two days" so that he can be closely monitored. "It's the watch-and-wait period now but if all goes well, he'll be moved to a regular floor for another seven days," the friend says.
For Deezer, though, there's some lifestyle changes he's going to have to make. "No more cigars and no strenuous exercise for a while," his friend says.