‘Back To The Future’ actor, Michael J. Fox first discovered he had Parkinson’s disease in 1991 at just 29 but didn’t announce it to the public until 1998.
Michael revealed to Town & Country that if he passed away soon it wouldn’t be surprising to him.
“If that comes (death), I’ll allow myself that. I’m 62 years old. Certainly, if I were to pass away tomorrow, it would be premature, but it wouldn’t be unheard of. And so, no, I don’t fear that.” Michael explained and reassured fans, that doesn’t mean he’s close to dying.
“I’m not gonna lie it’s getting harder.” Michael shared.
“You don’t die from Parkinson’s. You die with Parkinson’s.”
Michael is married to his ‘Family Ties’ co-star Tracy Pollan and now share four children, Sam, Aquinnah, Esmé and Schuyler.
He first noticed a symptom while filming ‘Doc Hollywood’, a tremor in his pinky finger and after consultation with a neurologist, he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
After his diagnosis, Michael kept his illness hidden and continued to work, most notably his role in ‘Spin City’ which won him an Emmy Award, three Golden Globe Awards, and two Screen Actors Guild Awards.
During the third season, the disease became more noticeable which prompted him to go public with his diagnosis.
After one last season on ‘Spin City’, Michael retired from acting, and in 2000, he launched The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research.
The New York Times named it “the most credible voice on Parkinson’s research in the world” and now it is the world’s largest non-profit funder for Parkinson’s drug development.
The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research has now raised over $1.75 billion.
After the foundation had been successfully set up, Michael returned to acting only playing roles that allowed him to showcase his Parkinson’s symptoms.
Michael has written several books about Parkinson’s disease and the challenges that come with it through a lens of optimism and humour.
He wrote his New York Times bestseller, ‘Lucky Man’ along with three other best-selling books ‘Always Looking Up’, ‘A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Future’ and ‘No Time Like the Future’.
Three of his audiobooks were nominated for Grammy Awards, and in 2010, Always Looking Up won the Grammy for Best Spoken Word Album.
His documentary ‘STILL: A Michael J. Fox Movie‘ was released on Apple TV in May this year following his life from when he was an ‘army brat’ to now.