It’s hard to imagine a more well-liked actor than Michael J. Fox. From his role as Alex P. Keaton on Family Ties, his memorable turn as Marty McFly in the trifecta of Back to the Future movies, to his years on Spin City, Fox entertained millions of people along the way. When he disclosed in 1998 that he had Parkinson’s disease, his fans were stunned and left to wonder what would happen to this talented performer. Well, not only would he continue acting on occasion, but he became one of the most vocal advocates for Parkinson’s research, something he continues to do today with the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research.
Part of that work is fundraising, which Fox is actively involved in. Last night he was one of the hosts at “A Sunny Thing Happened on the Way to Cure Parkinson’s,” an evening to benefit his foundation. Guests at the Beverly Hills event included Larry David, Heidi Klum, Fox’s TV sister Justine Bateman, his movie mom Lea Thompson and House‘s Lisa Edelstein. The night of comedy and music featured stand-up comic Greg Behrendt and music by rock legend Joan Jett, who even had Fox on stage to sing “Light of Day,” the title song from the mid-’80s movie featuring both Fox and Jett.
All told, about 225 guests appeared, and according to this PR Newswire release (via Forbes), more than $900,000 was raised.
You can learn more about Fox’s foundation here.
Photos by Startracks Photo.