Famed singer “El Puma” is in failing health.
The Venezuelan singer (born José Luis Rodríguez) was admitted to Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami early Monday set for a double lung transplant, reports Efe news agency.
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Rodriguez was diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis in 2000, which according to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, is a degenerative disease which causes scarring in the lung tissue. IPF, as it is referred to, is usually terminal.
In 2016, the beloved entertainer appeared at a concert in Barranquilla, Colombia with a nasal cannula to deliver oxygen.
El Puma has lived in Miami since the 1990s, after marrying Cuban American model Carolina Pérez. They have a daughter, Genesis Rodriguez, who has appeared in modeling campaigns as well as the movies “Man on a Ledge,” “Casa de Mi Padre” and “What to Expect When You’re Expecting.”
According to spokeswoman Beatriz Parga, the “Pavo Real” hit maker was waiting a long time for a donor. Finally, late Sunday night, he got the call.
“For him this is a new opportunity of life and he is going through this process with a lot of faith,” said Parga, according to Efe.
The first 72 hours of the operation is critical, to see if his body rejects the new organs, she added.
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