Ryan Reynolds is mourning his father's loss after James Reynolds recently died from Parkinson's disease at 74 years old.
The actor has been active in the goal of finding a cure for Parkinson's disease for years, teaming up with Michael J. Fox and his foundation since 2008 to fight the condition, which Fox also has. Parkinson’s is a degenerative disease with motor symptoms that include tremors, rigidity and balance problems. It affects an estimated 500,000 to 1 million Americans.
Reynolds' father never publicly disclosed his illness, which Reynolds says was officially diagnosed in 1995.
“I have a slightly different, weird, strange story about that because my father really hasn't ever said he has Parkinson's disease,” Reynolds told TODAY's Willie Geist, whose own father has Parkinson's, in November 2014. “He comes from a pretty prideful generation, and he doesn't really talk about it too much. But, he’s maybe said it once or twice out loud.”
Reynolds' family united in supporting the cause for a cure after his father's diagnosis.
“It kind of galvanized everybody else, to sort of seek resources,” he said. “And for us, it's in a strange way, it's really kind of brought us together.”
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