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Michael J. Fox is not afraid of death: ‘One day I’ll run out of gas’

  2024-03-06 pagesixSara Whitman27980
Introduction

Michael J. Fox is not afraid of death after living with Parkinson’s disease for more than 30 years.“One day I’ll run out

Michael J. Fox is not afraid of death: ‘One day I’ll run out of gas’

Michael J. Fox is not afraid of death after living with Parkinson’s disease for more than 30 years.

“One day I’ll run out of gas,” the “Back to the Future” star bluntly told Town & Country in an interview published Thursday.

“One day I’ll just say, ‘It’s not going to happen. I’m not going out today.’ If that comes, I’ll allow myself that.”

Fox noted that he is 62 years old, so if he “were to pass away tomorrow, it would be premature.”

“But it wouldn’t be unheard of,” he added. “And so, no, I don’t fear that.”

The beloved actor was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 1991 but didn’t publicly come forward with the news until 1998.

Michael J. Fox magazine cover
“One day I’ll run out of gas,” he candidly stated. “One day I’ll just say, ‘It’s not going to happen. I’m not going out today.’ If that comes, I’ll allow myself that.” Sebastian Kim for Town & Country
Michael J. Fox magazine cover
“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,” he added. Sebastian Kim for Town & Country

In his 2002 book, “Lucky Man,” he recalled the diagnosis feeling like “the bill being brought to a sloppy table after an ill-deserved and under-appreciated banquet” after admitting his movie career was not going too well once the “Back to the Future” franchise released its third and final film in 1990.

Despite not feeling too lucky when he received his diagnosis, Fox got sober and changed his tune so he could used his star power to do good in the world. Now, he sees his diagnosis as a “gift.”

Michael J. Fox smiling
The “Spin City” actor’s Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research has funded nearly $2 billion in research since it was created in 2000. Getty Images for Clinton Global Initiative
Michael J. Fox laughing
In April, it was revealed that research funded by the Michael J. Fox Foundation made a breakthrough discovery that may eventually lessen or even completely eliminate symptoms from the disease. Getty Images for Clinton Global Initiative

He founded the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research in 2000 and has since funded nearly $2 billion in research, per Town & Country.

Furthermore, in April, a decade-long study funded by the foundation was published and revealed Parkinson’s can now be detected in living people by locating a specific protein in the body, which has groundbreaking potential in terms of delaying or even eliminating symptoms.

“When I was diagnosed, it was like a drunk driving test,” the “Spin City” alum told the magazine.

Michael J. Fox sitting
Fox has always been honest about his Parkinson’s journey and said earlier this year it’s getting “harder” to live with. GC Images

“Now we can say, ‘You have this protein, and we know that you have Parkinson’s.’

“It opens the gates for pharmaceutical companies to come in and say, ‘We’ve got a target and we’re going to dump money into it,’ and when they dump money into it, good things happen.”

And while Fox is known for his positive demeanor, he never sugarcoats his reality.

Michael J. Fox sitting
In June, the star fell on stage at a “Back to the Future” expo. dpa/picture alliance via Getty Images

Speaking to CBS earlier this year, he admitted life with Parkinson’s was getting noticeably more difficult with age.

“I’m not gonna lie. It’s gettin’ hard, it’s gettin’ harder,” he said on “CBS Sunday Morning,” adding, “It’s gettin’ tougher. Every day it’s tougher.”

Less than two months after the admission, Fox fell on stage at a “Back to the Future” expo.

Michael J. Fox walking
In 2021, Fox said he knows he won’t see a cure for Parkinson’s in his lifetime. GC Images

He also said in 2021 that he knows Parkinson’s won’t be cured during his lifetime.

“I’m really blunt with people about cures. When they ask me if I will be relieved of Parkinson’s in my lifetime, I say, ‘I’m 60 years old, and science is hard. So, no,’” he explained in a profile for AARP magazine.

“I am genuinely a happy guy. I don’t have a morbid thought in my head — I don’t fear death. At all.”

(By/Sara Whitman)
 
 
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