Parkinson's stricken Back to the Future actor Michael J Fox, 61, has battled the disease for more than 30 years and says he is also scared he may not reach the age of 80.

He told CBS Sunday Morning: "I'm not gonna be 80." When Journalist Jane Pauley tells Michael his illness will one day "make the call" as to when it's his time to go, he replied: "Yeah, it's, it's banging on the door."

He added: "I'm not gonna lie. It's gettin' hard, it's gettin' harder. It's gettin' tougher. Every day it's tougher." Michael also told how he had surgery to remove a benign tumour on his spine, but said the procedure "messed up" his ability to walk, so he started to "break" other parts of his body, including his arm, elbow, face and hand.

He stressed the "big killer" of Parkinson's is falling over, with "aspirating food" and "getting pneumonia" also potentially deadly risks of the illness.

The actor added they were all part of "subtle ways" the disease "gets ya". He said: "You don't die from Parkinson's. You die with Parkinson's. "So… so I've been… I've been thinking about the mortality of it."

Michael, who was diagnosed with Parkinson's aged 29 and has since becoming a leading campaigner for more research into the illness, declared in December 2021 he did not fear death. He told AARP magazine: "I'm really blunt with people about cures. When they ask me if I will be relieved of Parkinson's in my lifetime, I say, 'I'm 60 years old, and science is hard. So, no.' "I am genuinely a happy guy. I don't have a morbid thought in my head - I don't fear death. At all."

ALSO READ: Michael J. Fox accepts honorary Oscar for Parkinson's advocacy

Source: Bang