Originally published on 4/9/26
Back to the Future actor Michael J. Fox, 64, is opening up about his health. After a now-removed CNN video titled “Remembering the life of Michael J. Fox” went viral, fans began to wonder if he passed away. Fox quickly shut down the rumors though, writing on Threads “How do you react when you turn on the TV and CNN is reporting your death? Do you…A) switch to MNSBC, or whatever they are calling themselves these days, (B) Pour scolding hot water on your lap, if it hurts your fine, (C) Call your wife, hopefully she’s concerned but reassuring, (D) Relax, they do this once every year, (E) Ask yourself wtf ?”
“I thought the world was ending, but apparently it’s just me and I’m ok,” he concluded.
Following that post, CNN issued a statement saying “The package was published in error; we have removed it from our platforms and send our apologies to Michael J. Fox and his family.”
Despite all of that though, people have once again started to wonder “how is Michael J. Fox doing amid his battle with Parkinson’s?” Here, we look into his health journey, including the symptoms that lead to his life-changing diagnosis.
What is Parkinson’s disease?
Parkinson’s is a progressive movement disorder that occurs when nerve cells in the brain die or become damaged, and it worsens over time. More than 10 million people have been diagnosed with the disease, making it the second most common neurodegenerative disorder after Alzheimer’s.
When was Michael J. Fox diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease?
After discovering a slight tremor in his pinky finger in 1991, Fox went to a neurologist who then diagnosed him with early-onset Parkinson’s disease (PD). He was 29 years old at the time and struggled with the diagnosis.
“My first reaction to it was to start drinking heavily,” he said in 2013, per People. “I used to drink to party, but now I was drinking alone and every day. Once I did that, it was then about a year of like a knife fight in a closet, where I just didn’t have my tools to deal with it.”’
Fox credits his wife, Amy Pollan, with helping him get his life back on track. And in 1998, when Fox went public with his diagnosis, his doctor said that he was “hopeful that Fox will be functional for at least another 10 years and maybe well into old age.”
“This was really tough. I didn’t want to put it out there, but, given the nature of Parkinson’s, it was going to become evident sooner or later. I was really nervous about it,” Fox revealed to People in 2024. “What I believed then and what I believe now, I might not put it in the same words, but you can do anything. Anything. You don’t have to follow other people’s prognostications for what life is going to be. Life’s going to be what you make it.”
Fox was later diagnosed with spinal tumor
Since then, Fox has created the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research in 2000. That same year, he decided to take a step back from acting to focus on his health. He was later diagnosed with a non-cancerous spinal tumor in 2018, which isn’t believed to be related to his Parkinson’s battle.
“I was heading for paralysis if I didn’t get it operated on,” the actor told People in 2020. “Parkinson’s, my back, my arm … it still didn’t add up to moving the needle on the misery index compared to what some people go through. I thought, ‘How can I tell these people, “Chin up. Look at the bright side. Things are going to be great”?’”
How Michael J. Fox is doing now
Recently, Fox was quietly returned to acting, appearing in both Zootopia 2 and Shrinking Season 3.
“The more I thought about it, the more I thought it was a privilege, and in a way, a gift,” Fox told Time in February 2026. “It’s a gift that keeps on taking, but if I look at the positive side of it…this is a role that I fell into and I found myself uniquely qualified to fulfill. Now people say, ‘I have what Michael Fox has.’ Parkinson’s patients now have an identity, and they don’t have shame.”
“I was always a small guy; I was bullied and pushed around, and I would overcome that and push through it. [Parkinson’s] is the biggest bully there is for me,” he continued. “And I’m not just going to let it get its way. We’re going to have a fight and I’m going to get a few punches in. I may get beat up in the long run, but we’ll get it done. I’m a—pardon my language—tough son of a bitch and I’m going to get it done. I’d like to see a world without Parkinson’s, and I think that will happen. I think in 30, 40 years, this will be done. Optimism is a powerful thing.”
Common Parkinson’s symptoms and risk factors
For most people, tremors are a very common Parkinson’s symptom. According to Nina Mosier, MD, co-founder and executive director of Power for Parkinson’s, symptoms include
- Tremors
- Shuffling when walking
- Inability to balance
- Speech/voice impairments
- Anxiety
- Depression
Risk factors for Parkinson’s include chronic exposure to chemicals, pesticides and air pollution according to Dr. Mosier.
Treatment options for Parkinson’s disease
Since there is no cure for Parkinson’s, Dr. Mosier says that “exercise is critical for managing Parkinson’s symptoms such as balance, multitasking, shuffling, falls, depression and more.”
“Exercise is proven to help slow PD’s progression,” she adds. “It’ll improve your daily quality of life. At Power for Parkinson’s, we’ve seen people walk out of class stronger than they entered. We’ve seen our participants tackle daily living better after exercise, like buttoning their shirts and unloading the dishwasher.”
Link to original: https://www.womansworld.com/wellness/michael-j-fox-parkinsons-battle-and-health-update
Carissa Mosness 