In case you saw a premature memorial for Michael J. Fox floating around: nope. He is very much alive, out and about, and doing interviews. File this one under spectacularly jumped the gun.
Here is what actually happened. CNN briefly published an obit-style package titled 'Remembering the life of actor Michael J. Fox' and then yanked it. A spokesperson said it went up by mistake and apologized to Fox and his family. It was a false alarm that spread fast because, well, it had CNN on it. For the record, Fox's rep told TMZ on Wednesday, April 8 that he is doing great and had literally been on stage giving interviews the day before.
That appearance was at PaleyFest L.A. on Tuesday, April 6, celebrating the wrap of Shrinking season 3. Fox, 64, popped up on the show this season in a guest role tied to Harrison Ford's character, Dr. Paul Rhodes, who is also dealing with Parkinson's on-screen. That guest spot is notable because it is Fox's first time back in a TV series since he stepped away from full-time acting in 2020.
Why the step back? He explained it plainly a few years ago: after almost three decades of working with Parkinson's, there were days his speech was unpredictable, and acting stopped feeling doable on his terms. That tracks with the timeline fans already know: he was diagnosed at 29 in 1991 while filming Doc Hollywood, made it public in 1998, and launched The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research in 2000 to push for better treatments and, ultimately, a cure.
'After 35 years or something since I have been diagnosed, this is just my life and I do not think about it much. I am focused on what we are going to do as a community to figure this out and find a cure — and short of a cure, build groundbreaking treatment centers... My life has been a great ride and it continues to be a great ride.'
That was Fox last April at the 'A Country Thing Happened on the Way to Cure Parkinson's' musical charity gala, telling Entertainment Tonight how he is looking forward, not backward. It is a good snapshot of where his head is at: still advocating, still working the cause, and clearly not going anywhere.
Quick catch-up
- 1991: Diagnosed with Parkinson's at age 29; first noticed symptoms while filming Doc Hollywood.
- 1998: Publicly revealed his diagnosis.
- 2000: Launched The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research.
- 2020: Retired from full-time acting.
- 2021: Told AARP he stepped back because his speech was not reliably there day to day.
- April 2024: At a Parkinson's charity gala, said he is focused on cures and building top-tier treatment centers.
- Tuesday, April 6: Makes a rare public appearance at PaleyFest L.A. to celebrate Shrinking season 3; he guest-starred this season as a friend of Harrison Ford's Dr. Paul Rhodes.
- Wednesday, April 8: His rep says he is doing great; CNN apologizes for accidentally publishing a memorial package and removes it.
And yes, major newsrooms do prewrite obituaries for famous people so they are ready when needed. The system exists for speed, and once in a blue moon, something gets pushed live by mistake. This was one of those blue moons. Thankfully, the subject of the mix-up was literally on stage the day before.