Ryan Reynolds is mourning the death of his father, but he is using the loss as a way to help others.
Reynolds posted his goodbye to his father, James C. Reynolds, on Twitter, but instead of just a death announcement, his tweet included a special request.
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The elder Reynolds — for whom Ryan and Blake Lively’s daughter James is named — suffered from Parkinson’s disease for over 20 years, and Ryan asked fans to contribute to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, where he sits on the board of directors.
“My father really hasn’t ever said he has Parkinson’s disease,” Reynolds told the Today show in November 2014 in an appearance with Michael J. Fox. “He comes from a pretty prideful generation, and he doesn’t really talk about it too much. He’s maybe said it once or twice out loud.
“It kind of galvanized everybody else to sort of seek resources,” he told Today. “And for us, in a strange way, it’s really kind of brought us together.”
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“Despite health challenges that could have slowed him down, Jim was a strong and passionate man who lived life to the fullest,” his obituary reads. “His spirit, stories and memories live on in his sons and grandkids.”
In an interview with Time magazine last year, Ryan described his father as “the toughest man alive: a former cop, former boxer and full-time land mine. He worked tirelessly to provide for his family and in return, you were expected to do what he said, often before he said it.
“In a word, he was scary. Not because he was sadistic or physically abusive. He was scary because he was one of those people with an energetic weight to him. Shifting his weight ever so slightly from one foot to another could transform an otherwise delightful 6th birthday party into what felt like an Irish funeral.”
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