‘WTF?’: Premature tribute sparks Michael J Fox death rumour
Source: Apple TV+
A representative for Michael J Fox has assured fans he is alive and “doing great” after a mistakenly published tribute sparked fears that the 64-year-old Spin City and Back to the Future star had died.
Widespread reports in the US said the article and video, titled “Remembering the life of actor Michael J Fox” and talking about him in the past tense, was published by CNN and shared on other news sites.
It was quickly taken down, but not before prompting consternation.
“The package was published in error,” a CNN spokesperson said in a statement.
“We have removed it from our platforms and send our apologies to Michael J Fox and his family.”
The statement did not explain further, but it has been speculated the package may have been intended as a career retrospective – albeit with a misleading title – or a pre-prepared obituary.
Either way, Fox’s representative assured concerned fans that the actor was indeed alive and had even attended the television festival PaleyFest in Los Angeles the previous day.
“Michael is doing great,” they said in a statement to TMZ. “He was at PaleyFest yesterday. He was on stage and giving interviews.”
A number of entertainment news websites shared a response, purportedly from Fox himself, that was posted on the @realmikejfox account on social media platform Threads.
“How do you react when you turn on the TV and CNN is reporting your death?” it asked.
“Do you…A) Switch to MSNBC, or whatever they are calling themselves these days, (B) Pour scalding hot water on your lap, if it hurts you’re fine, (C) Call your wife, hopefully she’s concerned but reassuring, (D) Relax, they do this once every year, (E) Ask yourself wtf? I thought the world was ending, but apparently it’s just me and I’m ok. Love, Mike”.
The post has had more than 1500 comments, with one user writing: “You sir, have just had your very own Mark Twain moment. For the record we are all happy you’re still here!”
Back in 2018, Fox was the victim of a death hoax that claimed he had died from pneumonia after being hospitalised with Parkinson’s-related complications. The fake report was published on a site designed to look like Yahoo! News, but with a different web address.
Fox proved he was alive and well at PaleyFest, making a surprise appearance at the wrap party for Shrinking, the Apple TV+ comedy from Spin City co-creator Bill Lawrence.
The actor guest stars on the show’s third season, and was photographed with his fellow cast members – including Harrison Ford, who plays a doctor diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
Fox also attended the Actor Awards in early March, receiving a standing ovation for an emotional speech in which he talked about meeting his wife, fellow actor Tracy Pollen, on the set of FamilyTies, and fatherhood (the couple has four children).
In his most recent Instagram posts, he shares a video chat with Lawrence, and photos of himself reuniting with former co-stars Michael Douglas (My American President) and Christopher Lloyd (Back to the Future).
According to Entertainment Weekly, the now-removed CNN tribute video said Fox “came into our living rooms on the small screen each week” as Alex P Keaton on Family Ties, and eventually onto the big screen as Marty McFly in the sci-fi film Back to the Future.
It included clips of his roles and noted that the actor, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease in 1991 when he was in his late 20s, left Spin City in 2000 when his symptoms began to become more severe.
“His most lasting role may have been as a tireless voice against Parkinson’s, a performance the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences honoured with the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award in 2022,” the narrator said.
“In the end, Fox came to understand that his battle against the disease brought out the best in him.”
In an interview last year, ahead of his return to on-screen acting in Shrinking, Fox spoke candidly about the escalating toll of his battle with Parkinson’s, which has left him prone to falling over and hurting himself.
He said he hoped he would die in his sleep rather than tripping over and causing a fatal injury.
“There’s no timeline [with Parkinson’s disease], there’s no series of stages that you go through – not in the same way that you would, say, with prostate cancer. It’s much more mysterious and enigmatic,” Fox told Britain’s told The Sunday Times newspaper.
“There are not many people who have had Parkinson’s for 35 years. I’d like to just not wake up one day. That’d be really cool.
“I don’t want it to be dramatic. I don’t want to trip over furniture, smash my head.
“That’s another thing too, about dying. I just haven’t had time”, he joked.
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