It was a blast from the past when actor Michael J. Fox made a surprise appearance at Glastonbury Festival, playing guitar during Coldplay's “Fix You.”
The video, shared by CBS News partner the BBC, showed Chris Martin turning the spotlight on the retired “Back to the Future” actor as he appeared on stage. Fox, in a wheelchair, played a guitar on his lap.
Martin then told the crowd that Fox had been instrumental in the Coldplay reunion.
“The main reason we're in a band is to see 'Back to the Future,'” he said. “Thank you to our hero forever and one of the most amazing people on Earth, Mr. Michael J. Fox. Thank you so much Michael, our hero.”
This is not the actor's first appearance with the band. Fox made a previous appearance with the rock band in 2016, performing “Johnny B. Goode.”
In 2022, Martin told Kelly Clarkson that watching Fox cover the Chuck Berry song from the 1985 film inspired him to become a musician.
“That's what made me want to be in a band, you know? That scene,” he said.
Fox also posted a tribute to the band, saying: “This is @coldplay's moment.”
“Glastonbury all the love and thanks to the @coldplay team who looked after us so well. And a huge thank you to Chris, Will, Johnny, Guy and Phil,” he wrote on Instagram. “Oh yeah, in case you were wondering… it was mind blowing.”
Fox was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 1991 at the age of 29. The star has spoken about his battle, telling Variety recently about the injuries he suffered from losing his balance.
According to the National Institutes of Health, the neurological disorder causes unwanted stiffness, tremors and difficulty coordinating and gets worse over time.
Fox also talked about his experiences in a recent interview on CBS “Sunday Morning”, in which he reflected on how long Parkinson's has been a part of his life.
“It's been over 30 years – not many of us have had this disease for 30 years,” he said. “It's a pity to have Parkinson's.”
Since going public with his illness in 1998, Fox has worked to raise money for Parkinson's, a disease he learned was underserved for research and treatment development. The nonprofit Michael J. Fox Foundation, which was founded in 2000, has raised more than $1.5 billion for Parkinson's research, according to its website.
