JPMorgan’s Jamie Dimon Undergoes Emergency Heart Surgery

JPMorgan Chase chairman and CEO Jamie Dimon underwent emergency heart surgery on Thursday, company executives said.

“We want to let you know that Jamie experienced an acute aortic dissection this morning,” the company’s co-presidents, Daniel Pinto and Gordon Smith, wrote in a letter to employees. “He underwent successful emergency heart surgery to repair the dissection. The good news is that it was caught early and the surgery was successful.”

The pair said Dimon, 63, was “awake, alert and recovering well.”

Pinto and Smith will run JPMorgan Chase, the largest bank in America, while Dimon recovers.

“As we always have done, this is a time for all of us to stay focused on our important responsibilities,” the pair wrote. “We know you all join us in wishing Jamie our very best and a smooth and speedy recovery.”

The New York Times noted that Dimon, who assumed his role in 2005, is the longest-serving leader of a major American bank. Asked if he would be retiring in January, the CEO said he had no immediate plans to step down.

The bank reported record profits last year, largely thanks to a high-flying financial market in 2019.