Michael J. Fox says his mom Phyllis, 92, has died

Oct. 10 (UPI) -- TV and film icon Michael J. Fox said at New York Comic Con this weekend that his mother, Phyllis, had died two weeks ago at the age of 92.

Fox reunited with his former co-star Christopher Lloyd to discuss their blockbuster sci-fi comedy, Back to the Future, which was released in 1985 and was followed by two sequels.

Fox mentioned his mother's death while recalling what it was like to get the job on Back to the Future while he was still starring on the sitcom Family Ties.

"I was 23 years old, and I called her, she was in Canada, and I said, 'They want me to do this Steven Spielberg movie, but I have to do it at night and I have to do Family Ties in the daytime.' And she said, 'You'll be too tired,'" Fox said.

He remembered telling his mom: "I live for this kind of tired. It'll be OK."

"To this day -- well, til two weeks ago -- my mother thought it was a really bad idea for me to do Back to the Future. She loved the movie, I got tired."

An online obituary said Phyllis Fox died Sept. 24. The mother of six children dedicated her time to raising awareness about diabetes and Parkinson's disease, and served on the board of the Michael J Fox Theatre in Burnaby, Canada.

Fox, who has battled Parkinson's disease since he was 29, said at the NYCC panel that he is trying to remain positive following a period of personal heartbreaks and misfortunes.

"Well, in the last year, I've broken my cheek, my eye socket, my hand, my elbow ... my shoulder," he said.

"I had a rough year of getting beat up. But that was really cool because it made me realize ... with gratitude, it's sustainable. If you can find something to be grateful for, if you can find something and say, 'Well, that's good.' ... It'll always get better... I'm very optimistic."