U.S. porn star Ron Jeremy resting after aneurysm surgery

Adult film star Ron Jeremy makes an appearance during the AVN (Adult Video News) Adult Entertainment Expo in Las Vegas, Nevada January 10, 2008.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Veteran pornography actor Ron Jeremy, one of the industry's biggest stars, was resting after undergoing surgery in Los Angeles on Wednesday for an aneurysm near his heart, his manager said.

Jeremy, 59, who appeared in more than 2,000 adult films, drove himself to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles early on Wednesday after suffering from chest pains.

"He just felt chest pains, like a very heavy weight," Jeremy's manager Mike Esterman said. "He is being worked on for an aneurysm near his heart."

Esterman said that the surgery "went smoothly," adding that Jeremy "is now resting with complete privacy and no visitors."

Jeremy, nicknamed the "Hedgehog" for his short and hirsute body and known for his large mustache, parlayed his porn star fame into mainstream celebrity status by appearing on the American reality television series "The Surreal Life" in 2004, and by being featured in an advertisement by animal-rights advocates PETA.

In a Twitter posting on Wednesday on his official account, Jeremy's management said, "Please keep Ron in your thoughts and prayers for a speedy recovery."

His memoir, "The Hardest (Working) Man in Showbiz," was published in 2007 by HarperCollins, a division of News Corp (NWSA.O). (Reporting by Eric Kelsey; Editing by Jill Serjeant, Philip Barbara and Lisa Shumaker)