Michael J. Fox is one of the most lovable faces in Hollywood because of his acting abilities and charismatic personality. The actor has had his fair share of troubles with his Parkinson’s diagnosis but he has never let it stop him from living his life to the fullest.
The actor recently lost his mother, but of course, like any good son, he surely will not be forgetting her.
The news of Michael J. Fox’s reunion with his co-star Christopher Lloyd in his breakthrough project Back to the Future made headlines. People were delighted at seeing the duo together again, as they reminisced on the movie we all know and loved.
While the panel was filled with memories of the movie, Fox was also mourning the recent loss of his mother and wanted to make sure he took the time to honor her memory.
During his panel at the New York Comic-Con (NYCC), the star disclosed the loss of his mother a few weeks ago and talked about his mother Phyllis, honoring her memory.
He revealed during the panel that his mother never supported him taking on the role in Back to the Future. And it seems like she had good reason not to support it either.
When he got the role, he was already working during the day on Family Ties. He revealed when he told his mother about the role in the movie, she advised against it. The actor recalled their exchange, “I was 23 years old, and I called her, she was in Canada, and I said, ‘They want me to do this Steven Spielberg movie, but I have to do it at night and I have to do Family Ties in the daytime.’ And she said, ‘You’ll be too tired.’”
But he went on to admit that his mother might have been right, he said, “I live for this kind of tired. It’ll be okay,” he had said to his mom, “To this day — well, till two weeks ago — my mother thought it was a really bad idea for me to do Back to the Future. She loved the movie, [but she was right], I got tired.”
His mother died at 92 years old, she was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, in 1929. Her father was Henry “Skip” Piper and her mother was Jane “Jenny” Piper.
She had four siblings, and in her life, she witnessed a lot of loss. She lost her husband, all four of her siblings, and also two of her children.
The 92-year-old is survived by four of her children, which include Michael J. Fox. She also leaves behind a plethora of grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
The actor who has always been open about his Parkinson’s diagnosis also decided to be candid about his health with his fans. He revealed, “Well, in the last year I’ve broken my cheek, my eye socket, my hand, my elbow … my shoulder. I had a rough year of getting beat up,” he revealed. “But that was really cool because it made me realize … with gratitude, it’s sustainable.”
However, the actor is an example of positive thinking and is always someone who looks at the bright side. “If you can find something to be grateful for, if you can find something and say, ‘Well, that’s good,’ … It’ll always get better… I’m very optimistic.” The veteran actor concluded, “I’d say optimism is thinking that things are more likely to get better than they are to get worse. If you believe in that, and you are grateful for it, that’ll sustain you the rest of your life.”
While it is heartbreaking that the actor lost his mother, it is also nice to know that she lived a full life and was able to see several generations of her family as it grew over the years.
What a lovely way for the actor to remember his mother by. We send our well wishes to the family.