Michael J. Fox fell on stage during a Back to the Future interview panel at a Fan expo in Philadelphia over the weekend.
“Thankfully, the impact of the fall was softened as the beloved star landed on the couch in front of him, instead of the hard floor. The entertainer appeared to be uninjured following the brief fall, as he took his seat and continued on with the panel,” Daily Mail reported.
J. Fox, 61, was joined by his Back to the Future costars, Christopher Lloyd, 84, and Tom Wilson, 64, for the occasion.
It happened almost a month after the Family Ties star admitted his battle with the disease is getting harder. He was first diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 1991 at the mere age of 29.
The Back to the Future star made a heartbreaking prediction about himself in a new candid interview with CBS This Morning.
“My life is set up so I can pack Parkinson’s along with me if I have to,” he told journalist Jane Pauley.
“You’ve not squandered any of your capacity, but at some point Parkinson’s going to call for you isn’t it?” Jane asked.
“Yea, it’s banging on the door,’ the actor responded. “I mean, I’m not going to lie it’s going to hurt.”
The father-of-four confesses that with time, his struggle with the disease is getting tougher, “every day it gets tougher,” he said.
The Teen Wolf alum added that other than dealing with his illness, he has suffered multiple other health issues and injuries over the years.
“I had spinal surgery. I had a tumor on my spine. And it was benign, but it messed up my walking. And then, started to break stuff,” he told journalist Pauley.
“Broke this arm, and I broke this arm, I broke this elbow. I broke my face. I broke my hand. Which is a big killer with Parkinson’s,” he added while revealing his injuries. “It’s falling and aspirating food and getting pneumonia. All these subtle ways that get ya.”
Saying that, Fox made a painful statement about his mortality.
“You don’t die from Parkinson’s. You die with Parkinson’s. So I’ve been thinking about the mortality of it. I’m not gonna be 80. I’m not gonna be 80,” he said.
In 1998, almost seven years after his diagnosis, Michael made his diagnosis public, and since then, he’s been busy spreading awareness about the disease, which affects the brain and causes uncontrollable body movements, including shaking, stiffness, and impaired balance and coordination.
“He noticed the first troubling muscle tremor at the height of his career while filming ‘Doc Hollywood’ in Florida,” CBS News reported.
In 2000 the Family Ties actor set up the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, as the New York Times quoted, is “the most credible voice on Parkinson’s research in the world.”
After his diagnosis, Fox became not only determined to find the cure for his disease but also helped many of his fellow actors in their difficult times.
In 2019, American actress Selma Blair revealed that after her diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis, she reached out to Fox for support, and he helped her a lot.
“I said, ‘I don’t know who to tell, but I am dropping things. I’m doing strange things. He got in touch with me and we began conversations,” she said in an interview with Good Morning America. “He really helped me… he gives me hope.”
In October 2021, Fox appeared in an interview with Variety and opened up about his struggle to find the cure for Parkinson’s.
“I enjoy life more. I’m more comfortable in my skin than I was 20 years ago. I can sit down and be calm. I couldn’t do that 25 years ago. That’s the medications, the drug cocktails, and therapies that we’ve been a part of.”
The 61-year-old said that his foundation raised more than $1 billion, which has been used to study the disease and its cure.
He further said that although the cure is still not in hand, he’s set up his mind on finding one.
“I’m committed to this. I won’t stop until it happens,” he said.
Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
Sources: CBS This Morning – CBS News – Good Morning America – Variety
