Michael J. Fox, 61, speaks candidly about the pain of living with Parkinson’s disease and his mortality: ‘I’m not gonna be 80’

Michael J. Fox has been living with Parkinson’s disease since his diagnosis at 29 in 1991, all the while devoting himself to finding a cure through his foundation.

And in a new interview with CBS Sunday Mornings, Fox, now 61, spoke candidly about his health and the painful realities of living with the progressive disorder.

‘My life is set up so I can pack Parkinson’s along with me if I have to,’ he tells journalist Jane Pauley.

‘You’ve not squandered any of your capacity, but at some point Parkinson’s going to call for you isn’t it?’ Pauly said bluntly of Fox’s mortality.

‘Yea, it’s banging on the door,’ the father-of-four responded. ‘I mean, I’m not going to lie it’s going to hurt.’

Fox retired from acting in 2020 due to his symptoms – which have included tremors, impaired movement, coordination and muscle stiffness.

He confesses that life at 61 with Parkinson’s is ‘getting tougher; every day it gets tougher.’

Fox added: ‘But, that’s the way it is and who do I see about that?’

On top of dealing with the incurable disease, the actor has also had number of other serious health concerns and injuries over the years.

‘I had spinal surgery. I had a tumor on my spine. And it was benign, but it messed up my walking. And then, started to break stuff,’ he shared, before revealing a series of scary injuries.

‘Broke this arm, and I broke this arm, I broke this elbow. I broke my face. I broke my hand. Which is a big killer with Parkinson’s.

‘It’s falling and aspirating food and getting pneumonia. All these subtle ways that get ya,’ he explained.

It’s at this point that he got very honest about the time he has left on Earth.

‘You don’t die from Parkinson’s. You die with Parkinson’s. So I’ve been thinking about the mortality of it. I’m not gonna be 80. I’m not gonna be 80,’ he said.

He went on to talk about the advancements that research has made for Parkinson’s, which comes just two days after the Michael J. Fox Foundation held its benefit dinner in Nashville, Tennessee that was dubbed A Country Thing: Happened On The Way To Cure Parkinson’s.

Local stars Little Big Town and Brad Paisley were among the performers to lend their support and take the stage for a night of music and comedy after a seated dinner. 

The annual charity event has helped propel the Michael J. Fox Foundation to become the largest non-profit funder of Parkinson’s disease research in the world, with more than $1 billion of research projects to date. 

‘My life is set up so I can pack Parkinson’s along with me if I have to,’ he tells journalist Jane Pauley 

Painful reality: ‘You’ve not squandered any of your capacity, but at some point Parkinson’s going to call for you isn’t it?’ Pauly said bluntly of Fox’s mortality. ‘Yea, it’s banging on the door,’ the father-of-four responded. ‘I mean, I’m not going to lie it’s going to hurt’ 

Fox has been living with Parkinson’s disease since his diagnosis at 29 in 1991, all the while devoting himself to finding a cure through his foundation; seen on April 26

Earlier this week, the Michael J. Fox Foundation held its special dinner and country music benefit, amid Parkinson’s Awareness Mont, in Nashville on Wednesday (pictured) 

Starry: Local stars Little Big Town and Brad Paisley were among the performers to lend their support and take the stage for a night of music and comedy after a seated dinner 

Established in 2000, Fox foundation is not only dedicated to finding a cure for Parkinson’s disease, it also concentrates on funding research and ensuring the development of improved therapies for the estimated five million people living with Parkinson’s disease today.

‘We operate with focus and determination in everything we do. We won’t stop until a cure is found,’ according to the foundation’s official website.

April has long been observed as Parkinson’s Awareness Month, as it is the birth month of James Parkinson, the London physician who was the first to describe Parkinson’s disease in 1817. 

Fox’s interview with Jane Pauley for CBS Sunday Morning is slated to air on Sunday, April 30.