Needless to say, having a massive heart attack at 47 is a shocking turn of events. It's far too young to be worrying about such things. Still, that's apparently exactly what was happening to the actor and director in between a pair of shows he was doing in Southern California last night. He reveals on Instagram that he didn't really know what was happening, simply that he wasn't feeling well. Luckily, a couple of friends called an ambulance, which, as it turns out, may have been the thing that allowed him to survive.

What follows is a fairly deep and personal reflection of somebody who has lived an interesting life. Kevin Smith reveals that he had previously always feared death and that he had always assumed the end of his life would not be a pleasant experience. However, it turns out that wasn't the case. Throughout all the twists and turns that life provided, Smith is happy with the life that he has lived, which is not to say he ready for it to end quite yet.

Kevin Smith came to prominence in 1994 following the release of indie comedy Clerks, which followed a pair behind-the-counter store workers during a single day of their lives. That success led to several more films, like Mallrats, Chasing Amy, and Dogma, each one anchored by a pair of recurring characters, Jay and Silent Bob, of which Smith himself played the latter. The films varied in quality, but the collection of movies grew a cult following and made Smith a pretty popular personality. He's something of a geek icon now.

Since then, Smith has continued to direct films as well as television, but he's been mostly seen on the podcast circuit, with his own popular show Fatman on Batman, as well as performing live shows, like the ones he was doing before the heart attack.

As Kevin Smith remarks, going forward the man will probably be making some changes to his life, but if he can post long personal reflections to Instagram shortly after having a heart attack, it appears he's in pretty good shape all things considered. The world would be a poorer place without Kevin Smith and so it's good to know he'll be ok. We here at CinemaBlend wish him a speedy recovery.