Mick Jones alongside his family at the 2025 Parkinson's Unity Walk in Central Park. From left to right: Colette Humm, Daniel Humm, Ann Dexter-Jones, Mick Jones, Annabelle Dexter-Jones, and Samantha Ronson.
Last month, Mick Jones, founding member and lead guitarist of the band Foreigner attended the 2025 Parkinson's Unity Walk, hosted by The Michael J. Fox Foundation (MJFF) in Central Park. Well-known for producing hit songs such as “I Want to Know What Love Is,” “Hot Blooded,” and “Waiting for a Girl Like You,” he spent nearly 50 years producing hit songs and touring with the world-famous band, which was inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2024.
After living with Parkinson’s disease (PD) for over a decade, Jones publicly shared his diagnosis in 2024 and has since taken on a role of advocacy within the broader Parkinson’s community. Partnering with MJFF earlier this year to raise awareness and funds for Parkinson’s research, Mick Jones attended the 2025 Parkinson’s Unity Walk, which has been a staple in the Parkinson’s community for over 30 years. Every year, thousands gather in New York City’s Central Park to walk the 1.2-mile route, attend programming led by various PD groups, and explore informational booths featuring industry representatives and national and local groups providing resources for people and families living with Parkinson’s.
“Attending the Unity Walk, hosted by The Michael J. Fox Foundation, was for me a very personal experience as someone who lives with Parkinson’s disease. It was heartening to see so many supporters present for the cause, many of whom have Parkinson’s or have a friend or family member living with the disease,” said Mick Jones.
In an especially meaningful moment, Mick Jones debuted his newly released song “Shelter From The Storm” in honor of Parkinson’s Awareness Month, on-stage at the Unity Walk. The song, which Jones says, “conveys his struggle with Parkinsons,” provided a sense of hope to the thousands of listeners at the Unity Walk and many more who could not be present that day.
“The moment I joined Carrie Preston on stage at the MJFF Unity Walk I felt the support coming from the crowd and that meant so much to me,” said Mick Jones. “For years I avoided going public with my Parkinson’s because I feared it might change people’s perception of me as a musician/performer. The support I have received since I went public has been a revelation. Anyone who has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s should share with people their situation. Not have to struggle with this debilitating disease on their own.”
Research has shown that music can have an especially positive impact on improving the symptoms of people who live with Parkinson’s disease. Ranging from motor symptoms, such as speech and voice, to psychosocial symptoms, such as thought and behavior, music is believed to activate multiple areas of the brain to help preserve and even enhance cognitive function.
This all of course, makes Jones’ song and contributions to the Parkinson’s community even more significant.
“My dream is that researchers find a cure for Parkinson’s so future generations can live free from the disease. I hope to see this happen in my lifetime,” said Mick Jones.
Listeners can stream the song on platforms such as Spotify, Apple Music and others. Inspired? Listeners can also contribute to Mick Jones' fundraising page supporting The Michael J. Fox Foundation's mission. Thanks to an anonymous donor, all Parkinson's Unity Walk fundraising pages, including Mick's, will remain open with every dollar raised matched up to $1.5 million to support critical Parkinson’s research and policy initiatives.
Learn more about the Parkinson’s Unity Walk and stay tuned for details on the 2026 event.
Read more about the positive impact that music can have on Parkinson’s disease symptoms in MJFF’s blog, “Ask the MD: Music Therapy and Parkinson’s.”
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Editor’s note: To mark the release of Mick Jones’ new song, “Shelter From The Storm,” the team at Foreigner is using the hashtag #ShelterFromTheStorm and opening up a space for community members and fans to share how Parkinson’s has touched their lives. Interested individuals may learn more here.