Following the death of Ryan Reynolds' father, James Chester Reynolds on Sunday after battling with Parkinson's disease, the actor is working to gather support from his fans for the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research in honor of his deceased father.
On Wednesday, Reynold tweeted one old photo of his father, who was holding the baby Ryan in his arms. "RIP Pops" he wrote. Below the brief caption, he added, "If possible, please donate/ support" with a link directed to michaelifox.org.
The 39-year old 'Deadpool' actor first opened up about his father's battle with Parkinsons back in 2008.
"Witnessing my dad suffer over the years galvanized my need to step up," he said.
From there, Reynolds has been a longtime supporter of the Fox Foundation for many years and made himself formally involved with the foundation by serving as one of its board of directors.
"I am not a runner. I am a running joke," Reynolds wrote in the op-ed before he joined the foundation. "While I'll probably never fully understand Michael (Fox)'s struggle, I've had a first-hand peek behind the curtain of Parkinson's."
He continued, "I've watched my father, a strong and proud person who successfully raised 4 arguably insane children, slowly, cruelly stripped of his independence. His golden years robbed without explanation."
"My father hasn't ever really said he has Parkinson's," the actor said during his 2014 interview with NBC. "He comes from a very prideful generation and he doesn't really talk about it much."
As quoted on his obituary, Jim Reynolds was described as a "strong and passionate man" who managed to live his life at its best despite battling with Parkinsons for more than 20 years.
"His spirit, stories and memories live on his sons and grandkids." the obituary reads.
As also stated in the obituary, there won't be a formal service, however, the Reynolds family is asking for some donations for the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research.
