Ryan Reynolds pens touching tribute to friend Michael J Fox: "He falls a lot because he's unafraid to fly"
19 April 2024, 16:46
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They've been dear friends for nearly two decades.
Michael J Fox and Ryan Reynolds established a close bond as they've both been affected by the same disease: Parkinson's.
Whilst Michael J Fox has been open-hearted and honest with his struggles himself, Reynolds' late dad James Chester Reynolds had suffered with Parkinson's for years.
Diagnosed when Ryan was a teenager, James battled the disease for twenty years before sadly dying in 2015.
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Now, Reynolds has written a heartfelt tribute to Fox, saying that he helped his father "feel less alone" in the latter stages of his life.
Michael was named as one of TIME Magazine's 100 Most Influential People of 2024, and Ryan was asked to pen an essay in tribute to his life and and work.
Revealing the impact that Fox has had on his life, his family's, and millions of people around the world, Ryan said: "He's funny. He's warm. He's handsome and intensely smart. He also falls a lot. Not just because he has Parkinson's. He falls a lot because he’s unafraid to fly."
"I met Mike 17 years ago," Reynolds he wrote for TIME, which he also re-posted to his 51.5 million followers on Instagram.
"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.
"He's the sum of these beautiful parts. And so many more," Reynolds added.
Reynolds also explained that his daughter's favourite film is Back To The Future after watching it together last year, adding: "She still has no idea that I know him."
Since 2009, Ryan has served on the board of the Michael J Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, the organisation Fox founded to find a cure for Parkinson's.
In a conversation earlier this month with People magazine, Michael was full of praise for Ryan, saying he "could be a really important person" in the search for a cure.
"I wanted to work on Parkinson's because I want a cure," Fox explained. "I just wanted to put us in the best position to find a cure, and hopefully I did."
Going on to gush about his friend Ryan, Michael continued: "He's so smart, he's so talented ... He knows how to leverage things and make them succeed in other areas," adding that "everything he touches is gold."
