Celebrities Who've Opened Up About Their Battles with Parkinson's Disease

Michael J. Fox

One of the earlier famous faces to open up about Parkinson's was Fox, who was diagnosed in 1991. The actor has been vocal about his ups and downs, research and fundraising, and even launched his own foundation in 2000.

It's the ebb and flow of his symptoms that can get him, though.

"I try not to get too New Age-y. I don't talk about things being 'for a reason.' But I do think the more unexpected something is, the more there is to learn from it," he said in 2018. "In my case, what was it that made me skip down the hallway to the kitchen thinking I was fine when I'd been in a wheelchair six months earlier? It's because I had certain optimistic expectations of myself, and I'd had results to bear out those expectations, but I'd had failures too. And I hadn't given the failures equal weight."

Appearing at New York Comic Con in October 2022, he told the crowd, "Parkinson's is the gift that keeps on taking. But it's a gift, and I wouldn't change it for anything. People like [Back to the Future costar Christopher Lloyd] have been there a lot for me, and so many of you have. It's not about what I have, it's about what I've been given, the voice to get this done, and help people out."

Alan Alda

Alda kept his diagnosis private for a few years before revealing the news in 2018, and admitting that at first it was "scary." However, education and exercise have helped him cope with the initial shock.

"My life hasn't changed much," he said in 2019. "I just applied my curiosity to it. I'm constantly reading and trying to figure out the best approaches. So far it's really interesting. I think it's helped me understand a little better that everybody has something they're coping with."

In a 2020 interview with AARP the Magazine, Alda shared the steps he's taking to curb his symptoms.

"Movement helps: walking, biking, treadmills. But also specific things: I move to music a lot." He added, "It's not the end of the world when you get this diagnosis."

He's continued to keep his optimistic attitude going, telling PEOPLE in 2022, "Tying shoelaces can be a challenge with stiff fingers. Think of playing the violin while wearing mittens. The silver lining is that I keep getting more confident that I can always find a workaround."

Ozzy Osbourne

The musician sat down with Robin Roberts on Good Morning America in January 2020, along with his family, to update his fans on his ongoing health battle.

"I did my last show New Year's Eve at The Forum. Then I had a bad fall. I had to have surgery on my neck, which screwed all my nerves," Ozzy began, before opening up about his diagnosis.

"It's PRKN2," wife Sharon further explained, adding that his disease is "not a death sentence by any stretch of the imagination."

"It's like you have a good day, a good day, and then a really bad day," she continued.

Sharon also shared that Ozzy would be seeing a professional in Switzerland, who specializes in "getting your immune system at its peak" so he can return to making music for his fans.

"They're my air, you know," Ozzy said. "I feel better. I've owned up to the fact that I have - a case of Parkinson's. And I just hope they hang on and they're there for me because I need them."

Despite Ozzy's struggles, Sharon isn't too hung up about her husband's future.

"He's gonna get back out there," she said. "And he's gonna do what he loves to do; I know it."

Neil Diamond

The singer announced his diagnosis in January 2018, canceling the remainder of an upcoming world tour based on doctor's orders. But that wasn't going to stop him from continuing with his passion.

"I plan to remain active in writing, recording and other projects for a long time to come," Diamond said in the statement. "My thanks goes out to my loyal and devoted audiences around the world. You will always have my appreciation for your support and encouragement. This ride has been 'so good, so good, so good' thanks to you."

Moved by their icon, fans in Australia and New Zealand who were issued tour ticket refunds were donating en masse to Parkinson's research organizations.

Jesse Jackson

When Jackson announced his diagnosis in 2017 — three years after he began to "notice changes" and years after the disease "bested" his father, he said — the reverend promised it "wasn't a stop sign."

"This diagnosis is personal but it is more than that. It is an opportunity for me to use my voice to help in finding a cure for a disease that afflicts 7 to 10 million worldwide," Jackson said, noting that about 60,000 Americans are diagnosed with Parkinson's every year. His planned treatment includes physical therapy to slow the effects of the disease.

In July of 2023, at 81 years old, Jackson stepped down from his role as president of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition.

Linda Ronstadt

In 2000 the singer noticed she was having vocal difficulties; by 2009 she retired and in 2013 she received her life-changing diagnosis. And it's changed her perspective on life, too.

"When you've been able to do certain things all your life, like put your shoes on and brush your teeth or whatever - when you can't do that, you sort of go, 'What's this?' " she said in 2019. "You know, what's happening here? Come help me with this. And then you have to learn to ask people to help, and that - that took a little doing. But I do that now, because I need the help."

Billy Connolly

The actor and comedian got candid in 2019, saying the realization that the disease is never going away was tough to handle.

"All my life I have got sick and I have got the flu and pneumonia various things and they all went away. This isn't going anywhere. It is going to get worse," he told the Daily Mirror. "It takes a certain calm to deal with, and I sometimes don't have it. I sometimes get angry with it, but that doesn't last long, I just collapse in laughter."

"I am at the point where the yesteryears mean more than the yesterdays," he continued. "Because it is back there in my childhood and youth when I go to all those things that made me that live keenest in my memory now."

Mike Newman

In 2006, Newman’s wife noticed a strange “shake” in the former Baywatch actor's movement.

Initially, the retired actor and firefighter, then 50, assumed his body was simply wearing out as he got older. But when family members and a concerned neighbor asked him to see a doctor, he figured it wouldn’t hurt. He was prescribed a pill called Azilect — a MAO-B indicator that slows the breakdown of dopamine in the brain — and it was like some sort of magic. Almost immediately, all his physical woes subsided. The next day, he went back and excitedly told the doctor he felt “great.” 

Unfortunately, it turned out to be nothing to celebrate. In a devastating turn of events, his doctor explained it was actually not a good thing that the pill had helped — because it meant he had Parkinson's disease.

“Everything changes,” the actor told PEOPLE in 2023. “All those things that you thought you were going to do with your children and grandchildren, pictures we were going to take, all the plans I had … stopped.”

Barry Melrose

Former NHL coach and player Melrose revealed in 2023 that he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and would be retiring as a NHL analyst.

"I've had over 50 extraordinary years playing, coaching and analyzing the world's greatest game, hockey,” he said in a statement to ESPN. “It's now time to hang up my skates and focus on my health, my family, including my supportive wife Cindy, and whatever comes next." 

"I'm beyond grateful for my hockey career, and to have called ESPN home for almost 30 years,” Melrose added. “Thanks for the incredible memories and I'll now be cheering for you from the stands."

Richard Lewis

In the spring of 2023, the Curb Your Enthusiasm star revealed his diagnosis in an emotional video shared on Twitter.

Speaking in the clip, Lewis said he'd had "sort of a rocky time" over the past three-and-a-half years, which included four consecutive surgeries on his back, shoulder and hip.

Lewis then said two years ago he "started walking a little stiffly" and was "shuffling" his feet.

"I went to a neurologist and they gave me a brain scan and I was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, and that was about two years ago," he said. "But luckily I got it late in life and they say you progress very slowly if at all and I'm on the right meds so I'm cool."

Lewis died on Feb. 28, 2024, following a heart attack. He was 76.