Michael J. Fox tumbles on stage during Back to the Future panel in Philadelphia amid Parkinson’s battle

Back to the Future star Michael J. Fox suffered a tumble on stage during a fan expo in Philadelphia over the weekend.
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Michael J. Fox had a fall on stage during a Back to the Future panel at Fan Expo in Philadelphia over the weekend. The retired award-winning actor, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 1991, lost his footing as he made his way to the stage.

In a video shared on social media, the 61-year-old, wearing a denim jacket and black jeans, tumbled as he was about to take his seat after bowing to fellow Back to the Future actors, Christopher Lloyd, 84, and Tom Wilson, 64.

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Fortunately, the impact of the fall was softened as he landed on the sofa in front of him. The beloved star appeared to be uninjured following the tumble, as he took his seat and cheered with the audience before continuing on with the panel.

It comes just over a month after he shared that his more than 30-year battle with Parkinson’s, which is destroying his nervous system and motor skills, was getting ‘harder’.

He told CBS Sunday Morning: "(Parkinson’s) knocking on the door .... I’m not going to lie, it’s getting hard. It’s getting harder. It’s getting harder. It’s getting harder every day.... that’s the way it is.

The actor was just 29 when he was diagnosed and explained that he is having increasing difficulty walking and has fractured several bones since undergoing surgery to remove a benign tumour on his spine.

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He also shared he didn’t believe he would live to see his 80th birthday. He said: “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.”

Fox retired from acting in 2020 due to his deteriorating health.  Since his diagnosis, the iconic actor has focused his life on raising money to research the disease. He has since raised over $1 billion in research funding via Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research.

Michael J. Fox (Photo by Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for ReedPop)Michael J. Fox (Photo by Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for ReedPop)
Michael J. Fox (Photo by Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for ReedPop)

Fox, who portrayed the iconic Marty McFly in all three Back to the Future films, was already a breakout sensation on the sitcom Family Ties when he was cast as the teenage time traveller in the original 1985 film.

It was a critical and financial triumph, grossing over $380 million at the worldwide box office. He reprised the role by travelling forward in time forward for the second film. The final instalment of the film sees the character enter America’s Wild West.

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