Michael J. Fox Predicts His Death: 'You Die With Parkinson's'

Michael J. Fox has made the heartbreaking prediction that he won't live to be 80 years old amid his decades-long battle with Parkinson's disease.

In an interview with CBS News' Jane Pauley, released Sunday, the 61-year-old "Back to the Future" star opened up about the tough experience of living with the brain disorder, which "causes unintended or uncontrollable movements" and whose symptoms "worsen over time," according to the National Institute on Aging.

"I had spinal surgery. I had a tumor on my spine. And it was benign, but it messed up my walking. "And then started to break stuff. Broke this arm, and I broke this arm, I broke this elbow. I broke my face. I broke my hand," Fox shared.

The actor added that falling "is a big killer with Parkinson's. It's falling and aspirating food and getting pneumonia. All these subtle ways that [get you]. You don't die from Parkinson's; you die with Parkinson's. I'm not gonna be 80. I'm not gonna be 80."

Fox described the disease as a "living hell," though he has advantages that other patients and families don't.

"My life is set up so I can pack Parkinson's along with me if I have to," he explained.

But he confessed that he fears death is "banging on the door" and that it is getting "harder" and "tougher" to live with the disease every day.

The '70s star, who earned several accolades from the Emmy Awards and the Golden Globes, was diagnosed with Parkinson's at the age of 29 back in 1991.

At the time, he was filming the romantic-comedy movie "Doc Hollywood" when he developed a tremor in his pinky finger. A consultation with a neurologist revealed that he had young-onset Parkinson's disease.

Following his diagnosis, he started the Michael J. Fox Foundation in an effort to raise funds for research on Parkinson's disease. It has raised $1.5 billion, and this month, it announced a significant breakthrough in the search for a Parkinson's biomarker, which could mean faster diagnosis and treatment.

"This changes everything," Fox said of the breakthrough. "I know with where we are right now, in five years they will be able to tell if they have it, be able to tell if they're ever [going to] get it, we'll know how to treat it."

Fox is the subject of the forthcoming Apple TV+ documentary, "Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie." His family, including his wife Tracy Pollan and four children — 33-year-old Sam, 28-year-old twins Aquinnah and Schuyler, and 21-year-old Esme — are expected to appear in the film, which will center on his life and career amid his medical condition.

"Still" will hit the streaming platform on May 12.