Ryan Reynolds and Michael J. Fox have developed a very special friendship since they first met nearly two decades ago.

After the fox was named time magazineReynolds was named one of the 100 Most Influential People of 2024 and was tasked with writing a short profile in honor of his old friend.

Reynolds took to Instagram on Wednesday, April 17, to share the heartfelt words he wrote in tribute to Fox, noting, “This man meant so much to me. I know he meant so much to so many of you.”

He then began his message, writing, “I know Michael J. Fox. Like, I know him very well. He’s funny. He’s warm, he’s handsome, and he’s very smart.”

Reynolds later quipped: “He falls down a lot too. And not just because he has Parkinson’s disease. He falls down a lot because he’s not afraid of flying.”

For context, back to the Future In 1991, at the age of 29, Star was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.

In 2000, he founded the Michael J. Fox Foundation, dedicated to researching a cure for Parkinson’s disease.

As a result, Reynolds called Fox “the greatest champion of Parkinson’s research on the planet” and credited him with helping countless others, including Reynolds’ own father, “feel less alone.”

this dead Pool The star later revealed that he had just introduced the Fox movie to his daughter, further stating, “I know how lucky I am to call Mike a friend. [My daughter] Still don’t know I know him. I don’t need to teach my daughter the compassion that Mike has mastered. Or teach her to tell stories like Mike tells stories, I need to teach her that it’s okay to fall down a lot. This is definitely the best way to know what you are flying. ”

exist people magazineIn the 50th anniversary special, Fox echoed the sentiment, saying Reynolds “is capable of truly amazing things.”

Fox continued: “I think Ryan Reynolds could be a very important guy. He’s so smart, he’s so talented. He knows how to take things and make them successful in other areas.”