Tom Hanks Fans React to Star's Coronavirus Diagnosis

Tom Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson have tested positive for Coronavirus and fans are shocked. The news broke late Wednesday as the Academy Award winner announced the news on his social media platforms. The two were in Australia as Hanks prepared to film Baz Luhrmann's Elvis project for Warner Bros. The beloved actor is supposed to be playing Colonel Tom Parker, who was Presley's longtime manager. Hanks and Wilson released a statement about their condition and told the fans to take care of themselves out there.

"Hello, folks. Rita and I are down here in Australia. We felt a bit tired, like we had colds, and some body aches. Rita had some chills that came and went. Slight fevers too. To play things right, as is needed in the world right now, we were tested for the Coronavirus, and were found to be positive."

"Well, now. What to do next? The Medical Officials have protocols that must be followed. We Hanks' will be tested, observed, and isolated for as long as public health and safety requires. Not much more to it than a one-day-at-a-time approach, no?"
"We'll keep the world posted and updated."

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— Tom Hanks (@tomhanks) March 12, 2020

"Take care of yourselves!"

People are concerned and it is easy to see why, Hanks has spent a lifetime making people smile and entertaining audiences. He had a moment in the sun during awards season when he was recognized for his talents at the SAG Awards. Many of his contemporaries couldn't help but smile seeing a man who basically loves everyone up there stammering and embarrassed by all the attention.

He told EW the story of him trying to get his start way back when, and he didn't even have the money to purchase his SAG card. "[My first acting job on He Knows You're Alone] paid me $800," Hanks began. "I was able to pay off the loans I had taken to join the Screen Actors Guild, and we shot for two days on Staten Island in the middle of winter. I borrowed money to join SAG, yeah. If you don't have it, you don't have it. It was the type of thing where it was better if you had it so you could get the job, but you had to get the job in order to join. It was a classic catch 22."

If Hanks and Wilson get bored, they can just scroll through the numerous well-wishes and heartfelt messages people left on their social media pages. The outpouring of love for one of the good guys out there is nice to see. Most people never get to know how truly appreciated they are. Check out some of the posts below:

Randy Holmes/ABC via Getty Images