In #MeltYourHeart news, Eddie Vedder hugged actor Michael J. Fox at Pearl Jam’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony on Friday night. He also gave Fox a shout out before Pearl Jam performed “Given to Fly.” Vedder said he is ‘proud’ to be part of Fox’s life, and was ‘thrilled’ to get to play for him.
Fox has suffered from Parkinson’s disease for over 25 years, but he kept it a secret for 7 years after his diagnosis. Michael told Haute Living New York a few months ago: “I realized it was a real awakening to me because I had been kind of keeping this secret.
“I was diagnosed 25 years ago, and I was only supposed to work for another 10 years. I was supposed to be pretty much disabled by now. I’m far from it. This is as bad as I get, and I can still go to the store and go marketing.
“I don’t have expectations, but whatever happens, happens. I hope it’s a good thing, and I trust it’ll be a good thing…”
“My acceptance is not resignation. I can accept something for what it is and then beyond that move on to rectify that, remedy it, or change it in some way. I have accepted to acknowledge it,” he went on.
Michael continued: “The only way I don’t move, in even the subtlest ways, is when I’m sleeping.
“The brain activity is to a point where you’re not moving, you don’t move. I don’t shift in my sleep. If I shift, I’m awake. I’m the same way when I do meditation. If I do it sincerely, then my brain slows down enough that my body gets still.”
Eddie Vedder pays tribute to Michael J. Fox, watching from the audience: "It's an honor to play for you tonight" #RockHall2017 pic.twitter.com/jOy69y41J2
— Maeve McDermott (@maeve_mcdermott) April 8, 2017
Speaking during a chat with David Letterman, Michael previously described the day he received his diagnosis.
He said at the time: “It was pretty scary. I was 29 years old and so it was the last thing I expected to hear.
“I thought I’d hurt my shoulder doing some stunt because I had a twitch in my pinkie. And the doctor said ‘You have Parkinson’s disease.’ He said, ‘The good news is that you have 10 years of work left’.”
