Michael J. Fox Forced to Sit in Chair During Rare Red-Carpet Appearance — as He Makes Sad Confession About Parkinson's Battle
Fox credited his 'dark humor' to help cope with his diagnosis.
Michael J. Fox has made a sad confession about his battle with Parkinson’s disease during his rare red carpet appearance.
The Hollywood icon was forced to sit in a chair while posing for photos with his family members and other attendees, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Fox was joined by family and friends for the NYC event.
Fox, 63, attended the Michael J. Fox Foundation's annual A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Cure Parkinson’s gala on Saturday, November 16.
The iconic actor was joined by his wife, Tracy Pollan, and their four children — son Sam, 35, 29-year-old twin daughters Aquinnah and Schuyler, and daughter Esmé, 23.
During the special charity event, Fox discussed how he uses his "dark sense of humor" to cope with the disease.
The actor told People magazine that maintaining his "darker side" of humor is "hard," before he added: “I gotta keep it intact.”
Stevie Nicks performed and called Fox a 'lovely guy.'
Fox credited his dark humor with helping during the challenging times he's faced over the last few decades and admitted he appreciated how it can help "bypass taboos and break down barriers" during difficult moments.
He added: "Let’s embrace that and make a difference."
The fundraiser, which was held in New York City, was hosted by Denis Leary and featured a performance by Stevie Nicks.
Fox gushed over the "exciting" event before he added: "I can’t believe — a lot of these people I’ve known for years and years — they’re so kind to me. I think because they see an opportunity for a win, for a big advancement, and that’s what we’re working toward."
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Fox sat in a chair during the rare red carpet appearance.
Nicks raved over the Back to the Future actor and said: "He got this pretty early. A long time ago. He’s had an amazing career, and he is the face of this. And when they asked me if I wanted to do this, I said of course I want to do it, you know?"
"He’s such a lovely guy. He could have just given up on all this kind of thing a long time ago and he didn’t. And that’s so magical."
Fox was diagnosed with the disease in 1991 when he was just 30 years old.
While filming Doc Hollywood, the actor developed a tremor in his pinky finger and after seeing a neurologist, he discovered that he had young-onset Parkinson’s disease.
Fox first revealed his Parkinson's diagnosis in 1998 and established The Michael J. Fox Foundation in 2000.
It has since raised $2 billion towards Parkinson's disease research.
Fox was diagnosed in 1991 with the disease.
In 2020, the actor explained how the diagnosis shifted his perspective on life.
Fox said: "You eventually come to a place where you go, 'I can do this.' This is just the way it is. It's something that happened to me. It's not something I'm suffering from. It's my reality. I find that the partner of gratitude is acceptance and surrender."
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Michael J. Fox established a foundation to support the research into the disease.