Ryan Reynolds Says Michael J. Fox Made His Late Dad 'Feel Less Alone' Dealing with Parkinson's Disease
Ryan Reynolds' father James died in 2015 following a nearly 20-year battle with the disease
Alberto Rodriguez/Berliner Studios/BEI/Shutterstock; Terry Wyatt/Getty Images for The Michael J. Fox Foundation
Ryan Reynolds and his father James; Michael J. FoxRyan Reynolds is praising his friend Michael J. Fox.
In an essay for TIME’s 100 Most Influential People of 2024, Reynolds, 47, credited Fox, 62, with helping his late father James “feel less alone” dealing with Parkinson’s disease.
Fox was diagnosed with Parkinson's in 1991 and went on to share his diagnosis with PEOPLE in a 1998 cover story.
“I met Mike 17 years ago,” Reynolds began in his blurb. “I’ve watched him raise the bar for purpose and passion. It’d be kinda lazy to simply characterize him as the greatest champion of Parkinson’s research on the planet. He’s someone who helped my dad, along with millions of others, feel less alone.”
“It’d be kinda lazy to simply regard him as a movie star who shaped the lives of people all over the planet with a uniquely electric wit and self-aware charm," Reynolds continued of Fox. “He’s the sum of these beautiful parts. And so many more.”
Reynolds also shared how the star “falls a lot,” but “not just because he has Parkinson’s.” “He falls a lot because he’s unafraid to fly,” he wrote.
The Deadpool actor went on to open up about Fox’s compassion as he revealed that his 9-year-old daughter James’ “favorite film” is now Back to the Future after they watched the movie together last year.
“She still has no idea that I know him,” he added.
Reynolds’ eldest daughter was named after his father James, who died in 2015 at the age of 74 shortly after she was born.
Reynolds previously explained in an interview with The MR PORTER Post that before his father died "he got to see her, which makes me happy."
Noam Galai/Getty; Noam Galai/Getty Images for The Michael J. Fox Foundation
Ryan Reynolds; Michael J. FoxThe actor revealed that his father had been battling Parkinson’s disease for nearly 20 years in 2014, before going on to tell the Today show that his dad’s diagnosis made his family tighter.
“It kind of galvanized everybody else, to sort of seek resources,” he said. “And for us, in a strange way, it’s really kind of brought us together.”
Since 2009, Reynolds has served on the board for the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, an organization Fox founded in 2000 with the aim of finding a cure for Parkinson’s.
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In a conversation with PEOPLE for the magazine's special 50th anniversary issue earlier this month, Fox said, “I wanted to work on Parkinson's because I want a cure."
"I just wanted to put us in the best position to find a cure, and hopefully I did," he added.
The actor also commended Reynolds and shared that he “could be a really important person.”
“He's so smart, he's so talented ... He knows how to leverage things and make them succeed in other areas,” Fox added, noting that “everything he touches is gold.”
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