Michael J. Fox Undergoes Spinal Surgery: 'He Is Recovering and Feeling Great'

Michael J. Fox has faced another health hurdle but is on the road to recovery.

The Back to the Future star, 56, recently underwent surgery his representative confirms to PEOPLE.

“Michael J. Fox recently underwent spinal surgery unrelated to his Parkinson’s,” his spokesperson Leslie Sloane says.

While a significant surgery, his rep says the star is recovering and doing great.

“He is recovering, feeling great, and looking forward to getting back on the golf course this summer.”

Further details of Fox’s surgery were not immediately available.

The surgery is likely the reason the actor was forced to cancel an appearance at the Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo in Canada scheduled for April 26 to 29.

The expo announced his sudden cancellation via social media earlier this month: “Whoa! This is heavy. Michael J Fox is not able to be with us at #CalgaryExpo. We received the following message from his publicist to share with you all – “Due to unforeseen circumstances in his schedule Michael J. Fox is not available to attend.”’

The star has battled Parkinson’s disease since 1991. At first, he did so privately but went public with his diagnosis in 1998. Parkinson’s is a disorder that causes uncontrollable tremors throughout his body.

• Want to keep up on the latest from PEOPLE? Sign up for our daily newsletter to get our best stories of the day delivered straight to your inbox.

Despite the challenges that come with such a diagnosis, Fox has continued pursuing his first love – acting. He recently joined the cast of Designated Survivor for the remainder of season 2 alongside Kiefer Sutherland and Maggie Q.

He’s also appeared on The Good Wife from 2010 until 2016 and in Curb Your Enthusiasm.

In March 2017, Fox appeared on the cover of AARP The Magazine and opened up about how he deals with his disease, revealing he laughs nonstop at himself, particularly when trying to deliver a cup of coffee to his wife of 30 years, Tracy Pollan.

“The truth is that on most days, there comes a point where I literally can’t stop laughing at my own symptoms,” he said.

“Just the other morning I come into the kitchen,” he explained. “I pour a cup — a little trouble there. Then I put both hands around the cup. She’s watching. ‘Can I get that for you, dear?’ ‘Nah, I got it!’ Then I begin this trek across the kitchen. It starts off bad. Only gets worse. Hot java’s sloshing onto my hands, onto the floor.”

He continued, “But the thing that makes it hilarious to me is when I think of someone else watching all this and thinking, ‘Poor Michael can’t even get the coffee — it’s so sad!'”

Despite the challenges, he was reminded that he was not alone in his battle when legendary boxer Muhammad Ali, who suffered from Parkinson’s disease for three decades, called him.

Fox remembered that moment with clarity, saying, “In this raspy, paper-thin voice, he said, ‘Aahhhhh … Michael, now that you’re in it, we’ll win this fight.’”

“What could I say?” added Fox. “Sitting there alone listening to Muhammad Ali, this giant — I was welling up, almost openly weeping.”

Fox told PEOPLE in 2006: “I’m so blessed with a great family, and I’ve had success in my career. I feel this is a really unique opportunity for me to help out and try to effect change.”