"If I were to pass away tomorrow, it would be premature, but it wouldn't be unheard of"
Michael J. Fox has explained why he doesn’t fear death in light of his 30-year struggle with Parkinson’s disease.
The actor, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 1991, aged 29, was asked if anything scares him during an interview with Town & Country.
“Anything that would put my family in jeopardy,” Fox said, referring to his wife Tracy Pollan and their four children.
When asked about if he feared for his own life, he replied: “One day I’ll run out of gas. 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. 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.”
The actor also reflected on the string of injuries he has endured over recent years, including breaking his arm, his shoulder and his hand.
“My hand got infected and then I almost lost it,” Fox added. “It was a tsunami of misfortune.”
Last year, the actor said he was prone to balance issues and falls after undergoing surgery for his hand, which led him to become “very cranky and short with people”.
“I try to nip it in the bud,” Fox told People. “I always think of these aides who work with me. And I often say to them, ‘Whatever I say, just imagine I said ‘please’ at the beginning and ‘thank you’ at the end. Just take a second and absorb that I might have said that if I was more myself, but I didn’t, so I apologise.”
The Back To The Future actor’s life and struggles with Parkinson’s was recently documented in the Apple TV+ documentary Still: A Michael J Fox. Movie.
The actor, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 1991, aged 29, was asked if anything scares him during an interview with Town & Country.
“Anything that would put my family in jeopardy,” Fox said, referring to his wife Tracy Pollan and their four children.
When asked about if he feared for his own life, he replied: “One day I’ll run out of gas. 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. 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.”
The actor also reflected on the string of injuries he has endured over recent years, including breaking his arm, his shoulder and his hand.
“My hand got infected and then I almost lost it,” Fox added. “It was a tsunami of misfortune.”
Last year, the actor said he was prone to balance issues and falls after undergoing surgery for his hand, which led him to become “very cranky and short with people”.
“I try to nip it in the bud,” Fox told People. “I always think of these aides who work with me. And I often say to them, ‘Whatever I say, just imagine I said ‘please’ at the beginning and ‘thank you’ at the end. Just take a second and absorb that I might have said that if I was more myself, but I didn’t, so I apologise.”
The Back To The Future actor’s life and struggles with Parkinson’s was recently documented in the Apple TV+ documentary Still: A Michael J Fox. Movie.