AceShowbiz - Veteran fashion icon Betsey Johnson is "recovering wonderfully" after undergoing open heart surgery last week.

The designer, who is a breast cancer survivor, checked into a Los Angeles hospital on April 4 for the operation, and she is already bouncing back.

"Betsey had a successful surgery and is recovering wonderfully," the 76-year-old's representative tells the New York Post's Page Six Style.

"She is so grateful for the well wishes and looks forward to her upcoming projects so she can be back with her fans!".

Prior to the surgery, Betsey admitted she while she had secured one of the best surgeons in California, she was a little nervous about going under the knife because her mother died from an operation over four decades ago.

"That was so long ago and there was a glitch in the testing," she explained to WWD.com. "They have done so much testing on me... You have to be one of the lucky ones to get one of these insanely precise robots to assist your doctor."

"(And) if anything goes whoops, I am very, very happy to have lived a wonderful life, full of love and support... I'm happy to think and to know that, 'Boy, I've had a great lucky life just filled with the best - family, friends, work, everything'."

Now she's well on the road to recovery, Betsey has a lot to look forward to - she launches a collection of original vintage styles online on Monday, April 15, and is preparing to debut a special line with high street retailer Urban Outfitters this summer.