Cronkite Undergoes Quadruple Heart Bypass

Walter Cronkite underwent quadruple heart bypass surgery Tuesday and an assistant said the operation went extremely well.

“The doctor was very pleased,” said Marlene Adler, an aide to the 80-year-old Cronkite.

The former CBS anchorman was found to have clogged heart arteries during a regular checkup and did not suffer a heart attack before the four- to five-hour operation at New York Hospital, said Julie Sukman, another aide.

Adler said the surgeon, Dr. Wayne Isom, told her that “Cronkite was in wonderful physical condition beforehand. He went through it extremely easily and well and there were no surprises.”