Despite rumors floating around the internet about his untimely death, Back to the Future actor Michael J. Fox is still alive and kicking. Shockingly, the rumors were given legs thanks to a report published by CNN after it put out a video package called, “Remembering the life of actor Michael J. Fox” on April 8, 2026. However, Fox, who has suffered from Parkinson’s disease since 1991, informed his fans he’s alive and doing fine.
“How do you react when you turn on the TV and CNN is reporting your death?” Fox, 64, stated in a post published on his Threads account. “Do you… A) switch to MSNBC, or whatever they are calling themselves these days, (B) Pour scolding hot water on your lap, if it hurts your 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,” his post concluded. “Love, Mike.” The package was soon shared all over the network’s various websites. The video contained a number of excerpts from interviews as well as clips from Fox’s work throughout the years. “He 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 ‘Back to the Future,'” a narrator says in the clip.
“But Michael J. Fox had a compelling third act as Parkinson’s sufferer and stem cell research advocate,” the video continues, according to Fox News. “His most lasting role may have been as a tireless voice against Parkinson’s, a performance the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences honored with the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award in 2022,” the narrator continues.
“In the end, Fox came to understand that his battle against the disease brought out the best in him,” it added. A spokesperson for CNN issued a statement apologizing to Fox and his family for the mistake. “The package was published in error; we have removed it from our platforms and send our apologies to Michael J. Fox and his family,” the statement read.
In 2025, the Family Ties star decided to come out of retirement and return to acting after a five-year hiatus. Fox confessed that he lives life “on the edge of my energy.” In an interview with USA Today, Fox said, “I just feel I have to. It’s a tradeoff. I want to be around for everything. I want to be active at everything, keep working, keep my partnerships going, my good friends, and enjoy my time with my family.”
“And it’s all good; it’s so much better than it could be,” he concluded. Fox’s return to the screen included a three-episode guest arc for the third season of Shrinking, playing a character suffering from Parkinson’s disease. “It was the first time ever I get to show up on-set, and I didn’t have to worry about, am I too tired or coughing or anything,” he said in an interview.
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“I just do it. It was really good, because for the moments when I say, ‘I’m not going to be able to do this,’ then I say, ‘Well, I’ll just deal with how I can’t do it in the scene.’ And you get through it.” Fox, who is now 64, got his start as a child actor in Canada at 15, starring in the sitcom Leo and Me. He then moved to Los Angeles at 18, to pursue acting, where he initially struggled, but landed his breakthrough role playing conservative teenager Alex P. Keaton on Family Ties.
Featured Image: screenshot from embedded video