Michael J. Fox, the iconic Back to the Future actor, recently opened up about his ongoing battle with Parkinson’s disease, a diagnosis he received in 1991, just a year after the release of Back to the Future Part III. Now 61, Fox spoke candidly in an interview with CBS Sunday Morning, describing Parkinson’s as “the gift that keeps on taking.”
Reflecting on his challenges, Fox told Jane Pauley, “It sucks, having Parkinson’s… It’s getting tougher, it’s getting harder, every day you suffer, but that’s the way it is.” Parkinson’s progressively damages parts of the brain over many years, leading to tremors, slowed movement, and muscle stiffness.
Despite these challenges, Fox remains resilient, sharing his approach to managing the illness: “I recognize how hard this is for people and for me, but I have a certain set of skills that allow me to deal with this stuff. I realize, with gratitude, that optimism is sustainable. If you can find something to be grateful for, then you find something to look forward to, and you carry on.”
In 2000, Fox launched the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, which has since raised over $1.75 billion for Parkinson’s research. A breakthrough study sponsored by the foundation, released in April, identified a new biomarker for Parkinson’s, marking a significant step forward. “This changes everything,” Fox said. “In five years, they will be able to tell if you have it, if you’re ever going to get it, and we’ll know how to treat it.”
Fox retired from acting in 2020 after a career filled with acclaim and admiration. Last November, he received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award at the Governors Awards, an honorary Oscar recognizing his significant philanthropic contributions. His journey is chronicled in an Apple TV+ documentary, Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie.
Over the years, Fox has faced numerous physical challenges due to Parkinson’s, including falls that have resulted in facial fractures and other injuries, as well as surgery for a benign spinal tumor. Reflecting on the toll of Parkinson’s, he poignantly added, “You don’t die from Parkinson’s; you die with it. I’m not going to be 80. I won’t be 80.”
