Ryan Reynolds praises longtime friend Michael J. Fox in touching tribute

Ryan Reynolds and Michael J. Fox have nurtured a very special friendship ever since they first met almost two decades ago.

After Fox was named Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People of 2024, Reynolds was tasked with writing a short” blurb in honour of his longtime friend.

Sharing the heartfelt words he wrote in Fox’s honour to his Instagram on Wednesday, April 17, Reynolds noted, “This man means a lot to me. And I know he means a lot to many of you.”

He then began his message, writing, “I know Michael J. Fox. Like, I know him pretty dam well. He’s funny. He’s warm, He’s handsome and intensely smart.”

Reynolds then quipped, “He also falls a lot. Not just because he has Parkison’s. He falls a lot because he’s unafraid to fly.”

For context, the Back to The Future star was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 1991 when he was just 29 years old.

In 2000, he founded The Michael J. Fox Foundation, dedicated to the research towards a cure for Parkinson’s.

Hence, Reynolds called Fox “the greatest champion of Parkinson’s research on the planet,” crediting him for helping countless others, including Reynold’s own father, “feel less alone.”

The Deadpool star then revealed that he just introduced his daughter to Fox’s movies, further noting “I know how lucky I am to call Mike a friend. [My daughter] still has no idea that I know him. I don’t need to teach my daughter the level of compassion Mike has mastered. Or teach her to tell stories the way Mike tells stories I need to teach her that it’s OK to fall a lot. It’s the absolute best way to know you’re flying.”

 

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On People Magazine’s 50th anniversary issue, Fox reciprocated the sentiments by expressing that Reynolds is “positioned to really do amazing things.”

Fox continued, “I think Ryan Reynolds could be a really important person. He’s so smart, he’s so talented. He knows how to leverage things and make them succeed in other areas.”