Michael J. Fox is now 59 years old, on June 9, 2020! It took 58 years of clean skin before he decided to get some ink! Michael has gotten his very first tattoo ever! He posted a photo of the tattoo on his official Instagram account with the caption, “First tattoo, sea turtle, long story.” The design of the tattoo featured a black-and-white sea turtle that is missing part of its right fin. The tattoo shop he visited is apparently ‘celebrity-approved’, a shop called Bang Bang.
The sea turtle is also swimming through five rings in the design. To show his appreciation for his first tattoo, Fox gifted his tattoo artist and the owner of the shop, Keith “Bang Bang” McCurdy, a signed pair of Nike Mags sneakers and a hover-board. These items were particularly inspired by Fox’s character in Back to the Future II and they look pretty awesome!
So, what does his tattoo actually mean?
Well, Fox actually didn’t reveal the significance of his tattoo himself, but the owner of the shop, McCurdy, was able to reveal the details to Inked Magazine.
“He was telling me that there was a transformation for him with his career decisions when he was swimming in Saint John,” McCurdy began, “He spotted this turtle with a chunk missing from its fin and a scar on his face. And that turtle let him swim with him for about a half an hour… He made a transcending decision right after that. So that turtle was pretty significant to him.”
What makes this tattoo even more sentimental is that it’s very significant of all the challenges and obstacles that Fox has faced and overcame throughout his life. One of these bigger challenges was being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 1991. Doctors gave Fox approximately 10 years to continue working, but he’s been working for 22 years now and has defied all odds.
“I just knew I was going to have to make adjustments and I didn’t know what I was gonna have to adjust to. But to be corny about it, once you accept it and you learn about it and you realize you’re part of a community and you realize you’re in a position to do something and to make a difference and to help, well then it’s just like, quit your b***hin’ and get on with it,” Fox explains.
Thankfully, the tremors that accompany Parkinson’s disease did not get in the way of the tattooing process. This is just another accomplishment to add to Fox’s list!
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One more Michael J Fox Interview before you go. On the Beautiful marriage he and Tracy share.