Larry King Has Heart Surgery

CNN talk show host, Larry King, had surgery, on Friday, to clear an artery blockage, but plans to return to television on Monday to interview United States presidential candidate, Barack Obama.

CNN spokeswoman Bridget Leininger said King, 73, came out of the scheduled operation without any complications and was alert and talking to his staff in the afternoon. She stated, "He was actually already giving orders to us for Monday."

The surgery, called a carotid endarterectomy, removes plaque that accummulates in a patient's carotid artery, which is a blood vessel that supplies blood to the neck and head. King underwent the surgery at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.

Leininger also released the statement, "Larry is doing great and he is excited to be back on the air Monday night with an interview with Sen. Barack Obama as we mark the fourth anniversary of the Iraq war."

Larry King, who will celebrate 50 years in the broadcast journalism business in May and has hosted CNN's Larry King Live for 22 years, underwent quintuple bypass surgery in 1987.