Michael J. Fox talks USA TODAY on ‘Back to the Future’
Remember the USA TODAY newspaper cover for Back to the Future Part II? Also featuring Michael J. Fox.
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Michael J. Fox is alive and well.
The 64-year-old “Back to the Future” star took to the thread on April 8 to poke fun at false reports about his death. Earlier, fans were concerned about the star’s death after CNN released a memorial video titled “In Memory of the Life of Actor Michael J. Fox.”
In a post on the thread, Fox assured fans that he was okay.
“How would you feel if you turned on the TV and CNN reported your death?” he wrote. “Do you…A) Switch to MNSBC, or whatever they call themselves these days, (B) If the fine hurts, pour some scolding boiling water on your knees, (C) Call your wife and hopefully reassure her that she’s worried, (D) Relax, they do this once a year, (E) Ask yourself. I thought the world was ending, but apparently I’m fine on my own. Love, Mike.”
A CNN spokesperson told USA TODAY that Fox’s package was “published in error,” adding: “We have removed it from our platforms and apologized to Michael J. Fox and his family.” According to Entertainment Weekly, the CNN video reflected on Foxx’s life and career and showed a narrator speaking about him in the past tense.
Major news organizations typically prepare obituaries in advance of a celebrity’s death, but these often go unused for years and are sometimes published prematurely by mistake. Fox, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 1991, has been the subject of death hoaxes in the past, including a fake article circulating online in 2018 reporting his death.
Fox has been active as of late, making a rare public appearance at PaleyFest in Los Angeles on Tuesday, April 7th. He joined the cast of the Apple TV show “Shrinking” and shared a hug with co-star Harrison Ford on stage. Fox guest-starred as a Parkinson’s patient in the show’s third season, in which Ford’s character suffers from Parkinson’s disease.
Fox also plans to publish his latest book, Future Boy, in October 2025. The book was a look back at the making of Back to the Future, focusing on the chaotic process of going back and forth between the movie set and the simultaneous filming of Family Ties.
Speaking to USA TODAY about the book last year, Fox said she chose to be “grateful for everything.”
“I tend to live on the edge of energy,” he said. “I just feel like I have to do it. It’s a trade-off. I want to be there for everything. I want to be active in everything, keep working, maintain partnerships, enjoy time with good friends, family, and that’s all good. This is much better than you might think.”
Mr Fox reflected on his death in an interview with the Sunday Times in October, saying there was “no timetable” for Parkinson’s disease and that he hoped to die peacefully. “There aren’t many people who have Parkinson’s disease for 35 years,” he says. “I’d like to not wake up at some point, which would be really nice. I don’t want to be dramatic. I don’t want to trip over furniture or hit my head.”
Contributor: Erin Jensen
