Emmy-winning actor Michael J. Foxreceived a life-alteringdiagnosis forParkinsons disease in 1991 at the age of 29.Doctors predictedhe had less than10 years of work left in his career. But Fox, who turns 55 this week, remains active in both the industry and his nonprofit work.
The actor credits hisperseverance and remarkable optimismtoMuhammad Ali, the legendary boxer his own childhood hero who shared his disease and died at age 74 on Friday. In 2000, Ali called Fox to discuss the disease, leading to Foxslaunch of the worlds largest nonprofit funder of Parkinsons disease research in the world. (More than$450 million has been invested in research in the last 16 years.) Fox spoke toRolling Stone abouthis idol and the inspiring grace, levity and generosity Ali embodied throughout his life.
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I was always Ali, and my brother was always Frazier. We used to watch them box [on television], and then go down to the basement. Id take my hockey elbow pads and gloves, hed take my lacrosse kneepads, put them on our fists, and wed beat the shit out of each other.
When I grew up in the Sixties, Muhammad Ali was one of those giants that lived in the world. I looked up to him and admired him. As I grew older, I understood the depth of his convictions and the things he stood for and I admired him even more.
The first time I talked to Muhammad was after I was diagnosed with Parkinsons disease. [Ali was diagnosed with Parkinsons in 1984]. He reached out to me, but it took me two or three days before I could answer his call because I was so nervous. Finally, I called from from the bathroom phone so I wouldnt be interrupted. One foot was up on the toilet lid, and the phone was up to my ear. You could tell on the phone he was very quiet at first, and you could hear him breathing. Im thinking, That is Muhammad Ali breathing, and thats his phone. Very quietly, he said, Im sorry you have this [disease], but with you in thefight, we have a better chance of winning.
He communicated with his eyes in the most amazing way.
Everybody talks about when Ali lost most of his power to communicate vocally. But even in the later days whenhe was physically diminished, mentally, he was as sharp as a tack. He was fiercely intelligent and I wouldnt want to get into a battle of wits with him. He communicated with his eyes in the most amazing way. He would make you laugh at what he didntsay.
Nobody knows the full extent of what anybodys health situation is. We have names for diseases and conditions that dont cover the full extent of how we experience whats wrong with us, and the feeling of whats wrong with us. There is a perceived shame in illness. I wish there wasnt,but people look for fear in your eyes. A lot of times theysee their own fear reflected back at them. Theyre afraid: If you have it, then they may have it.
Its very tough to keep an even keel, but its something that you have to do to go forward and enjoy life. You cant stomach other peoples projections of what you should be feeling. Muhammad was a perfect example of that. I mean, the whole world projected their fears for him onto him. And he took it all with love, with confidence and with humor.
When we were shooting our commercial [for the Michael J. Fox Foundationfor Parkinsons Disease] in Arizona, I realized that no matter how famous you are, no matter how big a TV star you are or whatever flimsy kinds of fame I had youre invisible when youre with Muhammad Ali. Youre anonymous. He attracts people like honey attracts bears. People come out of nowhere, to touch him and say hello to him. He was global. He reached every corner of the Earth. Every village, every household, certainly every television set and everybody in the Western world but also the Third World and some places that had nothing understood what he was and what he stood for; that he was a great boxer, sure, but that he was a great man. He was principled until the end of his days. He made no apologies, no excuses, but he understood kindness and honorability and generosity to people.
The thing I remember most of our first [meeting at at the Philadelphia Convention center in 2000] was that hed do this magic trick over and over again. He pulled a red scarf out of thin air. After about five or six times, youd realize he was pulling it out of a fake thumb. He knew you knew he just liked that you didnt say anything about it. He did this trick over and over again. It was him reminding you that he was still magic.
As told toSarah Grant
We remember Muhammad Ali in his own words of wisdom and bravado. Watch here.