Michael J. Fox: Parkinson’s Crusader Reacts To Robin Williams Diagnosis Before Suicide

Michael J. Fox has spoken out about the revelation that Robin Williams was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease shortly before his suicide, according to the Daily Mail.

Diagnosed with Parkinson’s in the early 1990s, Michael J. Fox used Twitter to express his shock and feelings about the comedian’s death. “Stunned to learn Robin had PD,” the star of film and television told his 1.17 million followers.

Stunned to learn Robin had PD. Pretty sure his support for our Fdn predated his diagnosis. A true friend; I wish him peace.

— Michael J. Fox (@realmikefox) August 14, 2014

Michael also tweeted his confidence that Robin Williams’ support for the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation predated his diagnosis. “A true friend,” Fox tweeted. “I wish him peace.”

On August 12, before the news broke that Williams had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease, Michael J. Fox tweeted:

Famously kind, ferociously funny, a genius and a gentle soul. What a loss. #RobinWilliams

— Michael J. Fox (@realmikefox) August 12, 2014

Robin Williams’ wife, Susan Schneider, released a statement saying that Williams had been battling the early stages of Parkinson’s Disease but wasn’t ready to share his diagnosis with the world. Schneider added that Williams’ “sobriety was in tact” at the time of his death.

Schneider also said that Robin Williams was suffering from depression and anxiety at the time of his death, and authorities confirmed that Robin had committed suicide.

“Robin’s sobriety was in tact and he was brave as he struggled with his own battles of depression, anxiety as well as early stages of Parkinson’s Disease, which he was not yet ready to share publicly. It is our hope that in the wake of Robin’s tragic passing that others will find the strength to seek the care and support they need to treat whatever battles they are facing so they may feel less afraid.”

According to the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation, the disease that Michael J. Fox has suffered with for over three decades, and the disease Robin Williams had just started to battle at the time of his death, is a chronic and progressive movement disorder meaning that symptoms continue and worsen over time. The cause of Parkinson’s Disease is unknown, and for the time being there is no cure. However, there are treatment options available, including medication and surgery, to manage the disease’s symptoms.

Michael J. Fox was diagnosed with the disease in 1991, but initially kept it hidden from the public — just as Robin Williams did. It wasn’t until 1998 that the Back to the Future star “came out,” and has ever since been a crusader in the efforts to fund and research the disease.

Currently it’s unknown how acute the symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease were with Robin Williams before his death.

[Images via celebrity.yahoo.com and Cliprender]