“I know how lucky I am to call Mike a friend” — Ryan Reynolds pens heartfelt message for Michael J. Fox on 2024 TIME100

Ryan Reynolds is all praise for Back to the Future star Michael J. Fox. On Wednesday, April 17, Fox was named one of Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people of 2024. Reynolds wrote a short blurb in tribute to Fox, which was featured in the magazine. The Deadpool star proclaimed:

"I know how lucky I am to call Mike a friend."

In the heartfelt blurb, Reynolds talked about how Michael, who was diagnosed with Parkinson's illness in 1991, made millions of sufferers—including Ryan's father—"feel less alone." Fox founded the Michael J. Fox Foundation in 2000 to help fund research towards discovering a Parkinson's cure.

Michael J. Fox is one of Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people of 2024 (Image via Instagram/@realmikejfox)

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Ryan Reynolds praised Michael J. Fox for being "unafraid to fly"

Apart from being known for his iconic role as Marty McFly in Back to the Future, Michael J. Fox is also a prominent advocate for finding a cure for Parkinson's disease. The actor was diagnosed with the disease in 1991, when he was only 29. He disclosed his diagnosis to the world in 1998 and started the Michael J. Fox Foundation in 2000 to help fund cure research.

On Wednesday, April 17, Michael J. Fox was bestowed with the honor of being named one of Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people in 2024. Fox was honored in the "icons" category of the list alongside Sofia Coppola, Hayao Miyazaki, Mark Cuban, and Suzanne Simard, among others.

Every official selection had a short blurb written on their work and achievements. It was none other than Free Guy star Ryan Reynolds who wrote Michael J. Fox's blurb. The Canadian-American actor also shared his heartfelt tribute to Fox on social media.

Reynolds said that he knew Fox "pretty damn well." He called the actor funny, warm, handsome, and intensely smart. On a lighthearted note, Reynolds, known for his wit, noted how Fox not only fell a lot because he had Parkinson's but also because he was "unafraid to fly."

Michael J. Fox married 'Family Ties' co-star Tracy Pollan in 1988 (Image via Instagram/@realmikejfox)

Reynolds revealed that he met the Family Ties actor 17 years ago and bore witness to Fox raising the bar for "purpose and passion." He said that it would be lazy to simply characterize Fox as the "greatest champion of Parkinson’s research on the planet" or as an actor who shaped a plethora of lives with his "uniquely electric wit and self-aware charm."

Reynolds wrote that Fox was a person who helped his father and millions of other people feel "less alone." The Deadpool star wrote:

"He’s the sum of these beautiful parts. And so many more."

Ryan Reynolds' father, James Reynolds, passed away in 2015 at the age of 74. James had lived with Parkinson's disease for around 20 years. Reynold's oldest daughter was born in 2014, months before his father's death. She was named James after James Reynolds.

Reynolds revealed on the blurb that he had recently watched Back to the Future with his 8-year-old daughter, and it ended up becoming her favorite film. He wrote that, for now, that simple fact was enough for him and noted how another kid from yet another generation had now seen what he had seen. He also disclosed that his daughter had no idea that he knew Fox.

Ryan Reynolds ended his article on an extremely positive and heartfelt note. He wrote:

"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."

Ryan Reynolds is a board member of the Michael J. Fox Foundation and has served in the position since 2009.