Comedian and SNL alum Chris Kattan rushed into surgery after a pneumonia diagnosis

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Former Saturday Night Live star and Chatham resident Chris Kattan had two emergency surgeries Sunday and Monday after falling ill in Springfield, Mo.

Kattan, 52, performed several shows at the Blue Room Comedy Club, but was rushed to the emergency room after being diagnosed with Streptococcus pneumoniae.

Maria Libri, Kattan's girlfriend and former local on-air personality, said he was expecting to be released from the hospital on Saturday.

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She said Kattan called her Friday and was short of breath, but he soldiered through his shows and was due to fly back to Springfield, Ill. on Sunday.

Before his flight, Libri said Kattan went to an urgent care facility where an X-ray showed his lungs filled with fluid. Kattan was admitted to a hospital intensive care unit and had surgery Sunday night.

A second surgery, which was more invasive, took place Monday, Libri said.

"It was a little scary," said Libri, who drove to be with Kattan earlier in the week. "If he had waited another day, it could have been very different."

Kattan is almost "back to normal," Libri said. "He's already making jokes with the staff and the nurses."

Kattan calls the Springfield area "home base," although he retains a place in Los Angeles.

Former "Saturday Night Live” cast member and standup comedian Chris Kattan
Former "Saturday Night Live” cast member and standup comedian Chris Kattan

Kattan and Libri met in Springfield while Kattan was performing at Boondocks in 2021.

The couple has been writing scripts together and appeared in videos for the YouTube channel, Hey Kattan!

In the fall, they filmed scenes for "The Answer to My Prayer," a movie directed by Patrick Perez Vidauri and produced by Edward James Olmos who starred in "Stand and Deliver".

Contact Steven Spearie: 217-622-1788, sspearie@sj-r.com, twitter.com/@StevenSpearie.

This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Former SNL star Chris Kattan has emergency surgery in Missouri