Jamie Foxx marked his 56th birthday by expressing gratitude for the support he’s received as he recovers from the medical emergency he suffered earlier this year.
“This birthday is a special one,” Foxx, 56, wrote via Instagram on Wednesday, December 13. “I wanna start by saying thank you to everyone that prayed for me when I was in a bad way … here lately I’ve been able to thank some of you personally but I want to say to all of you. I NEEDED EVERY PRAYER … you lifted me through … I was able to make it to today because of your prayers.”
He continued, “I consider all of you my family… and thank you to my immediate family, and everybody who chipped in to make sure that I could celebrate on this day.
“I’m sending our complete joy to everybody … Cause if it’s my birthday it’s your birthday.”
In April, Foxx’s daughter Corrine Foxx announced that her father had suffered an undisclosed medical complication. “Luckily, due to quick action and great care, he is already on his way to recovery,” she said in a statement at the time. (Foxx is the father of two children: Corrine, whom he shares with Connie Kline, and Annaliese Bishop, whom he shares with Kristin Grannis.)
At the time of his health scare, Foxx was hospitalized while filming his upcoming movie Back in Action. His costar, Cameron Diaz, continued filming scenes with Foxx’s body double.
The details of Foxx’s illness have not been revealed, and he has since thanked his family for keeping the specifics of his health condition quiet.
On December 4, Foxx made his first public appearance since the medical emergency when he was honored at the Critics Choice Association’s Celebration of Cinema & Television: Honoring Black, Latino and AAPI Achievements in Los Angeles.
“I want to thank everybody. I’ve been through something. I’ve been through some things,” Foxx said as he accepted the Vanguard Award for his performance in The Burial. “It’s crazy, I couldn’t do that six months ago. I couldn’t actually walk.”
“I wouldn’t wish what I went through on my worst enemy,” he said, adding, “It feels good to be here. I cherish every single minute now. It’s different. ”
In August, Foxx said he was “starting to feel like myself” again.
“It’s been an unexpected dark journey … but I can see the light,” he captioned a series of Instagram pics at the time. “I’m thankful to everyone that reached out and sent well wishes and prayers … I have a lot of people to thank … u just don’t know how much it meant … I will be thanking all of you personally … and if you didn’t know … GOD IS GOOD … all day every day.”
Now that he’s on the mend, Foxx is looking ahead and focusing on getting into the holiday spirit. Two days before his birthday, he unveiled a spectacular Christmas light display at his massive estate.
“When I was a kid the only lights we could afford for outside the house was a red light bulb… I said when I’m finally blessed enough. I’m GON LIGHT IT UP!!.” he wrote via Instagram as Nat King Cole’s classic record, “The Christmas Song,” played in the background.
In the video, giant multi-colored letters spelled out “JOY” ahead of the estate’s gates on the front lawn. Snowmen appeared as mock guards surrounded by brightly lit snowflakes. An aerial view revealed an illuminated tree-lined driveway with numerous outdoor Christmas trees, toy soldiers and of course, Santa Claus.
Several stars were thrilled by the clip.
Kandi Burruss wrote, “I love this,” while Busta Rhymes posted 7 fire emojis. Fat Joe added, “God is great.”
