death_place death_date children birth_place birth_date spouse article_title name occupation
kentucky , u.s. 30 november 2001 2 adult children ; chandra and carlin mobile , alabama , u.s. 31 july 1942 carol robert tools
 '' ` robert l. tools '' ' retired school teacher phone company technical librarian and former chicago public
robert tools

robert l. tools -lrb- july 31 , 1942 -- november 30 , 2001 -rrb- was the world 's first recipient of a fully self-contained artificial heart , called abiocor .
the operation took place on july 2 , 2001 .
he survived for 151 days without a living heart .
dr. joseph fredi at saint thomas hospital suggested the experimental procedure based on his knowledge of a research project by abiomed .
while recovering from surgery , robert had the chance to enjoy some of his favorite past time hobbies , fishing and dining out .
while at jewish hospital , robert became renowned and received press throughout the world on shows like cooking network , dateline , `` the tonight show with jay leno '' , and cnn .
as a result of robert 's press , he received visits from lt. governors , the oak ridge boys , and muhammad ali .
while meeting with ali , tools earned the name '' # 1 champ '' because of his fight to survive .
due to continued complications of abdominal bleeding and a stroke , robert died november 30 , 2001 .
