John Bellany

Whether in his adopted Italian village of Barga in Northern Tuscany, in the hamlet of Garfagna nearby where he actually has his home, or in Cambridge or Edinburgh, where his many friends and admirers hang out, the news of John Bellany's recent survival of a double heart attack has been applauded, but has also left many fingers crossed. The attack, which happened during the night of Friday 3 June, left him recovering in a stable condition, both humouring the nurses, as well as asking for art materials. Bellany is of an exceedingly robust nature, having previously survived a liver transplant in 1988.