Michael J. Fox is alive after CNN incorrectly reported his death on TV

Michael J. Fox is thankfully still alive despite false rumours spreading online about his death.

The Back To The Future star was memorialised in an article and video titled Remembering the life of actor Michael J. Fox which CNN published online this week, prompting a surge of rumours suggesting the actor had passed away, but a representative for CNN has now issued an apology and revealed the package was uploaded "in error".

The legendary actor, who has been living with Parkinson's disease since 1991, reassured fans that he is doing just fine. 

"How do you react when you turn on the TV and CNN is reporting your death? Do you… A) switch to MSNBC, or whatever they are calling themselves these days, (B) Pour scolding hot water on your lap, if it hurts your fine, (C) Call your wife, hopefully she’s concerned but reassuring, (D) Relax, they do this once every year, (E) Ask yourself wtf?"

"I thought the world was ending, but apparently it’s just me and I’m ok."

A CNN spokesperson explained: "The package was published in error; we have removed it from our platforms and send our apologies to Michael J. Fox and his family."

Michael, 64, appeared in public on Tuesday to attend an event at PaleyFest LA at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles to celebrate the third season of hit comedy Shrinking in which the actor appears alongside Harrison Ford.

During the event, Harrison, 83, opened up about playing a character with Parkinson’s disease and admitted he didn't want to downplay the issues facing sufferers, saying: "Even though [the show] is a comedy sometimes, I don’t want to minimise the difficulty of the disease."

However, his performance won praise from Michael - who was diagnosed with the condition in 1991 when he was just 29 years old.

He said: "I didn’t have to prove to him that I had Parkinson’s. He had to prove to me that he had Parkinson’s - he nailed it."

It comes after Michael recently opened up about the end of his life revealing he doesn't "think about his legacy" because it's "other people's business".

He told the Los Angeles Times newspaper:

"I'll be dead. My late father-in-law wrote a book once called Die Broke. The theory being spend all your money now."

"I don't mean just money. Your gift, your nectar. Spend it all now, and spend it on your kids, on people you love. I don't think about legacy."

After being diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, the actor went on to establish his Michael J. Fox Foundation - which is dedicated to finding a cure for the illness and has gone on to fund $2 billion worth of research - and he said he knows that work will "continue" once he's passed.

He added:

"Certainly, the foundation will be around and our work will continue. It'd be nice to have it done before I die, but I don't know if that will happen. We're certainly getting closer."

"Legacy is other people's business; my business is to live my best life, do the best I can, the best work I can, seize opportunities like working with Billy [Bill Lawrence] and Harrison [Ford] and continue to write my story until the pin drops."

This article was first published by Bang! Showbiz and is republished here with edits and permission.