Eurovision winner Sobral has successful heart transplant

ENTERTAINMENT

Eurovision winner Sobral has successful heart transplant

The Associated Press Published Friday, January 12, 2018 8:41AM EST Last Updated Friday, January 12, 2018 9:10AM EST

In this Saturday, May 13, 2017 file photo, Salvador Sobral from Portugal smiles as he speaks after winning the Final of the Eurovision Song Contest with his song 'Amar pelos dois' during a press conference in Kiev, Ukraine. (AP Photo/Sergei Chuzavkov, File)

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LISBON, Portugal -- Eurovision Song Contest winner Salvador Sobral has left a Portuguese hospital after a successful heart transplant.

The Santa Cruz Hospital near Lisbon says the 28-year-old Portuguese singer made a "very satisfactory" recovery from the transplant he underwent in December. But the hospital statement on Friday says Sobral's activities will be limited for the time being.

Sobral sang a solo ballad in last year's Eurovision competition to give Portugal its first win in 53 years of competing. He was welcomed as a national hero after the win. His modest attitude and insistence on presenting music without frills have won him many fans.

Due to Sobral's triumph, Portugal will host the Eurovision Song Contest for the first time this year. The event is being held in Lisbon in May.