How old was Ryan Reynolds when he lost his father? Actor opens up about James Chester Reynolds' Parkinson's Disease

Deadpool & Wolverine star Ryan Reynolds recently talked about his deceased father's struggle with Parkinson's disease in the August 14 issue of PEOPLE Magazine. He went on to discuss his newfound understanding of the disease as well.

Ryan Reynolds' father, James "Jim" Reynolds, had Parkinson's disease for about 20 years and passed away in 2015 at the age of 74, when Ryan was 39 years old.

However, their Vancouver family hardly ever talked about it. About the same, Reynolds stated,

"As far as I know, he said the word 'Parkinson's' maybe three times, and one of them wasn't to me."

Since then, Ryan has been actively involved in the fight against Parkinson's disease. In collaboration with Acadia Pharmaceuticals, he is now expanding this work with the launch of a new campaign called More to Parkinson's.

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Actor Ryan Reynolds credited his father for all the parenting lessons

Ryan Reynolds is currently associated with More to Parkinson's (Image via Alex Livesey - Danehouse/Getty Images)

Ryan Reynolds recently talked about how his father battled the condition of Parkinson's disease when he was alive. During a recent interview with PEOPLE Magazine, he further disclosed that their relationship was complex.

He went on to say that he had a difficult relationship with his father because James wasn't a man who could share things. He went on to say that due to this, he couldn't remember actually having a proper conversation with him.

The Deadpool & Wolverine actor also revealed that when James's hallucinations and delusions grew more severe, he found it harder to maintain their relationship. He acknowledged that, at the time, he believed his father was going insane.

James was having trouble telling the difference between fact and fantasy and everyone else in his life was consequently beginning to doubt his opinion on things.

Ryan Reynolds further told the outlet,

“There would be conspiratorial webs that he would spin about ‘this is happening’ and ‘these people might be after me’ or ‘this person is out to get me’.”

The Deadpool actor then thought more deeply about their relationship after his death. Claiming that he was not taking responsibility for his actions, he then revealed that he made himself understand that he and his father disagreed on all matters and that he could never have a real relationship with him.

Talking about the same, he then continued,

“And as I’m older now, I look back at it, and I think of it more as that was my unwillingness at the time to meet him where he was. I could have maybe been there with him toward the end, and I wasn’t. He and I just drifted apart, and that’s something I’ll live with forever. “

Ryan Reynolds then said that his father taught him a lot about parenting, both the good and the bad. With his wife Blake Lively, the actor is now raising four children, three of which are daughters. Giving his father credit for it, he stated,

"My father didn't have a ton of female energy around him. I think it really would have softened him."

The movie star also stated that he has grown to love and respect his father more as he has become older and said,

"It's very, very easy to paint pictures in black and white of people to justify your own – be it anger, inadequacies, anything – and I realized as I'm older, people are nuanced, including my father. I wish I knew him better. I wish I knew more about him. I wish he was more conversational and forthcoming about what he feels and thinks."

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More on Parkinson's disease

Mayo Clinic claims that Parkinson's disease is a condition that affects the central nervous system and impairs movement, and causes frequent tremors. It also has an impact on the body parts that the nerves control.

Parkinson's disease frequently begins with a hand tremor. Additional symptoms include loss of balance, stiffness, and sluggish movement. Its treatment involves medication to raise dopamine.

While there is no known cure for Parkinson's disease, medication may greatly lessen its symptoms.