Celebrity4 min(s) read
Published 11:38 09 Apr 2026 GMT
Actor Michael J. Fox was forced to publicly respond to claims that he had died.
You may best know him as Marty McFly from the Back to the Future film series, but Fox is also known for his roles in Spin City and Family Ties.
Now 64 years old, the Hollywood actor has been battling Parkinson's disease (PD) since being diagnosed at the age of 29 back in 1991.
The Canadian-American actor would go public with his condition in 1998, before founding The Michael J. Fox Foundation in 2000 to help fund research for the disease, raising over $2.5 billion over the years.
According to Mayo Clinic, the health condition worsens over time, and it is "a movement disorder of the nervous system."
While symptoms start slowly, first early symptoms can include a tremor in one part of the body, a stiffness, slowing movement, or a trouble with balance.
Symptoms get worse over time and the condition can't be cured, though medicines can improve symptoms.
As time goes on, those with PD may find it harder to walk, talk, or complete simple everyday tasks.
On Wednesday (April 8), CNN posted an article titled "Remembering the Life of Actor Michael J. Fox", sending fans into a panic as many believed that he had passed away.
Fox though, was as confused as anyone else amidst the social media uproar.
Not long afterwards, the American news outlet admitted that they had made a mistake, saying in a statement to TMZ: "The package was published in error; we have removed it from our platforms and send our apologies to Michael J. Fox and his family."
Representatives of Fox then released a statement confirming his good health, stating: "Michael is doing great. He was at PaleyFest yesterday. He was on stage and giving interviews."
The actor, who once called Parkinson's "mysterious and enigmatic", took to Threads to joke about the misleading story.
He wrote: "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 you're 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. Love, Mike."
Fox made an appearance at TV and media festival Paley Fest on Tuesday, as he is set to appear in an acting role for the first time since 2020, in the upcoming third season of Shrinking alongside Harrison Ford.
The actor has faced worsening symptoms in the past few years, such as memory issues and reduced mobility.
He had previously explained his decision to retire from acting in his memoir, No Time Like the Future: An Optimist Considers Mortality.
He explained: "Not being able to speak reliably is a game-breaker for an actor.
"There is a time for everything, and my time of putting in a 12-hour workday, and memorizing seven pages of dialogue, is best behind me… I enter a second retirement.
"That could change, because everything changes. But if this is the end of my acting career, so be it."
Back in 2018, Fox admitted that he believed his diagnosis was "a mistake", adding: "I responded by drinking too much. I drank to obliterate it, to make it go away. [But the abuse] caused tension in my marriage, which had always been good and has been amazing since."
Speaking about the condition to The Sunday Times last year, Fox said: "I don’t walk that much any more. I can walk but it’s not pretty and it’s a bit dangerous. So, I just roll that into my life, you know – no pun intended."
Admitting that there aren't many people who have had Parkinson's for 35 years, he said of his eventual passing: "I’d like to just not wake up one day. That’d be really cool. I don’t want it to be dramatic. I don’t want to trip over furniture, smash my head."
