Ryan Reynolds announced Wednesday morning that his father has died.
The Canadian actor, tweeted: 'RIP Pops. James C. Reynolds. 1941-2015.'
Reynolds, 39, had revealed in November 2014 that his dad, known as Jim, had been battling Parkinson's disease for 20 years.
In his tweet, he asked fans, if possible, to make a donation to the Michael J. Fox Foundation that raises money to research a cure for the progressive disease that affects the nervous system.
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Sad news: Ryan Reynolds shared this photo of his father Jim holding him as a baby via Twitter as he announced Wednesday that his dad had passed awayPlea: The Canadian actor asked fans to make a donation in his dad's memory to the Michael J. Fox Foundation that funds research to find a cure for the condition that affects the nervous system
Private battle: Reynolds, 39, revealed in an interview last November that his father had struggled with Parkinson's for 20 yearsThe Woman In Gold star, who's married to Blake Lively, spoke about his father's very private battle with Parkinson's on NBC's Today.
'My father really hasn't ever said he has Parkinson's disease,' Reynolds revealed.
'He comes from a pretty prideful generation and he doesn't really talk about it too much. But he's maybe said it once or twice out loud.'
He said his dad, a former cop and boxer, was diagnosed in 1995 and his denial forced Ryan's family to unite through adversity.
'It kind of galvanized everybody else, to sort of seek resources,' he told Today. 'And for us, it's in a strange way, it's really kind of brought us together.
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Challenging: Reynolds kept his dad Jim's 1995 diagnosis a secret as the family rallied round the former cop and boxer who was in denial about his illness. The actor is pictured with his mom Tammy and his dad in 2005Reynolds became involved with fellow Canadian Michael J. Fox's foundation in 2008 and he's now on the board of directors.
Parkinson's is a degenerative neurological disorder that, according to the Michael J.
Fox Foundation, affects at least one million people in the United States and more than five million worldwide.
Latest research indicates one in 100 people over the age of 60 will be diagnosed with the disease.
Symptoms include tremors and problems with balance and as it progresses sufferers increasingly lose control of their movements.
Back To The Future star Fox, now 54, was diagnosed with Parkinson's in 1991 but didn't go public with it until 1998.
As a result of the disease, he quit his hit TV show Spin City in 2000 and instead has focused on Parkinson's research thought his foundation.
Driving force: Michael J. Fox, seen here on Back To The Future Day last week, has been battling Prkinson's disease since 1991. In 200, he established a foundation to fund research into the neurological disorder
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