Michael J. Fox Reveals He Won’t Live Much Longer
Michael J Fox does not think he will live to be 80 due to his battle with Parkinson's disease.
Known for hit movies like Back to the Future and Teen Wolf, actor Michael J Fox has been a mainstay in Hollywood for decades. Despite recently reuniting with his Back to the Future castmates, it seems like we won’t be seeing Fox in any new films anytime soon. According to a TV Insider article, Michael J Fox has recently opened up about his struggles with Parkinson’s symptoms and how it has impacted his acting career.
In a recent interview with CBS Sunday Morning’s Jane Pauley on Sunday, April 30, Michael J Fox told Pauley “Yeah, I mean, I’m not gonna lie. It’s getting hard, it’s getting harder. It’s getting tougher. Every day it’s tougher. But that’s the way it is. I mean, you know, who do I see about that?” The actor spoke about risks like falling, aspirating food, getting pneumonia, and other health risks that can be exacerbated by the disease.
Despite worsening Parkinson’s disease symptoms causing him to quit acting, the actor still has hope, noting his appreciation for his wife Tracy Pollan, and staying positive about his ultimate mortality: “And it sounds hokey, but to this day, if I can find one little thing to be grateful for, I can be optimistic about it.”
Still, in the interview, Michael J Fox lamented about the reality that he will probably not live to 80 years old, and it is a reminder of everyone’s ultimate mortality. Fox was diagnosed with Parkinson’s back in 1991, but like many people diagnosed with Parkinson’s, the disease and symptoms have progressed with age. Fox revealed that he had undergone spinal surgery to remove a tumor that had interfered with his ability to walk and had suffered multiple broken bones in falls related to Parkinson’s.
Michael J Fox is a Canadian-American actor who rose to fame starring in classics from the 1980s and 1990s. He began his career as a child actor, appearing in Canadian television shows and movies before gaining widespread recognition when he landed the role of Alex P. Keaton on the sitcom Family Ties, which ran from 1982 to 1989. He has had a number of other notable roles on television, including Spin City, The Good Wife, and a run on the medical television comedy Scrubs.
Michael J Fox also had a hugely successful run in film as well, starring in the smash hit science fiction film Back to the Future and subsequent films in 1985, as well as Teen Wolf, The Secret of My Success, Doc Hollywood, and The American President. He has also gained a number of voice acting credits in some hit animated films like Stuart Little and Disney’s Atlantis: The Lost Empire.
The actor has gained critical and commercial success, winning five Emmy Awards, four Golden Globe Awards, and two Screen Actors Guild Awards, among others. In 2010, he was inducted into Canada’s Walk of Fame, and in 2015 he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama.
Michael J Fox’s diagnosis of Parkinson’s in the 90s may have impacted his life irrevocably, but it has led to the actor founding the Michael J Fox Foundation in 2000 and becoming a staunch advocate for Parkinson’s disease awareness and treatment. Although it has caused him to take a step back from acting in recent years, the actor has prioritized balancing his career, his health, and spending time with his wife, children, family, and friends.
