Michael J. Fox Reflects on Parkinson’s Disease and Mortality: ‘I’d Like to Just Not Wake Up One Day’

Michael J. Fox is opening up about his battle with Parkinson’s disease and his mortality.

The Back to the Future actor, 64, was diagnosed with early on-set Parkinson’s in 1991 at age 29 and has lived with the health condition for more than 30 years.

According to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, which the actor founded in 2000, Parkinson’s occurs when “brain cells that make dopamine, a chemical that coordinates movement, stop working or die,” and can cause issues such as tremors, stiffness and walking and balance problems. It can also lead to depression, memory issues and other symptoms.

“There’s no timeline, there’s no series of stages that you go through — not in the same way that you would, say, with prostate cancer,” Fox said of his prognosis in an interview with The Sunday Times on Sunday, October 12. “It’s much more mysterious and enigmatic.”

Fox added, “There are not many people who have had Parkinson’s for 35 years,” revealing that he’s thought about his own mortality.

“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,” he shared.

In the interview, the Spin City actor opened up about the injuries he’s experienced over the years due to a decline in his motor skills.

Fox recalled a doctor once suggested that the physical nature of his work as an actor might help him alleviate symptoms of the disease. “It was helpful, to a point,” Fox said. “And that’s [the point] where I break stuff.”

“It’s absolutely incredible the stuff I broke. In a three-year period I broke my elbow, I broke my hand, I got a big infection in my hand and I almost lost my finger,” he shared with the outlet.

Related: Michael J. Fox Receives Presidential Medal of Freedom

Michael J. Fox gained worldwide recognition beginning in 1982 on the NBC sitcom Family Ties and continued his rise to fame for the next four decades. The Back to the Future star was born in Alberta, Canada, in June 1961 and began his acting career at the age of 16 in the Canadian TV series […]

The actor said he has had to give up playing guitar, which was one of his favorite hobbies.

“It’s terrible. I had all these little bones broken and it got infected and they had to cut the bones out because the bones got infected,” he said. “I broke my other shoulder, had it replaced. I broke my cheekbone.”

These days, Fox said he is much more limited in his movement.

“I take it easy now. I don’t walk that much anymore. 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,” he shared.

Fox previously discussed his Parkinson’s battle in a 2023 documentary, Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie.

“Every tremor is like a seismic jolt,” Fox said in the film, revealing that the disease can cause him to be “frozen physically” and “frozen facially.” He said that he sometimes struggles to “smile” or “show expression,” a typical symptom for those diagnosed with Parkinson’s.

“People express to me that I make them feel better and make them do things they might not otherwise do,” he said the documentary. “That’s the most powerful thing. It’s a huge responsibility … I don’t want to f*** it up.”