His Frontotemporal Dementia Battle Explained – Hollywood Life

Bruce Willis is likely one of the most beloved and celebrated actors in movie and tv historical past. He received his begin on the legendary Nineteen Eighties comedy drama Moonlighting, earlier than touchdown a breakthrough movie position in 1988’s Die Hard. He showcased his comedy chops within the Look Who’s Talking collection, and continued his rise as an motion star with the primary two Die Hard sequels. After a dip in his profession, he returned to the general public eye because of Pulp Fiction, in addition to 12 Monkeys, The Fifth Element, Armageddon, and The Sixth Sense. In the 2000s and 2010s, he loved success as an motion star (The Expendables, Red) and as a dramatic/comedic actor (Looper, Moonrise Kingdom.) Sadly, within the 2020s, his well being started to say no, and his profession started to frazzle, with him showing extra incessantly in lower-budget movies.

Sadly, Bruce’s profession got here to an in depth in 2022 when his household made the heartbreaking announcement: he had been identified with aphasia, a dysfunction affecting his cognitive talents. “As a result of this and with much consideration, Bruce is stepping away from the career that has meant so much to him,” learn an announcement shared by his household on social media: spouse, Emma Heming Willis, ex-wife Demi Moore, and his daughters, Rumer Willis, Tallulah Willis, Scout Willis, Mabel Willis, and Evelyn Willis.

Sadly, a 12 months after the primary announcement, the Willis household gave an replace: Bruce had been identified with frontotemporal dementia. “Unfortunately, challenges with communication are just one symptom of the disease Bruce faces. While this is painful, it is a relief to finally have a clear diagnosis,” the household wrote.

Despite his situation, Bruce and his household have maintained a optimistic outlook on his journey. As he continues to stay his life to its fullest, right here’s what we find out about his well being.

Bruce Willis Diagnosed With Frontotemporal Dementia Diagnosis

Bruce Willis’ household first introduced he was identified with aphasia on Mar. 30, 2022, in a put up that was shared amongst all their social media accounts. “To Bruce’s amazing supporters, as a family, we wanted to share that our beloved Bruce has been experiencing some health issues and has recently been diagnosed with aphasia, which is impacting his cognitive abilities,” the assertion learn. “As a result of this and with much consideration, Bruce is stepping away from the career that has meant so much to him.”

“This is a really challenging time for our family, and we are so appreciative of your continued love, compassion, and support. We are moving through this as a strong family unit and wanted to bring his fans in because we know how much he means to you, as you do to him. As Bruce always says, ‘Live it up,’ and together we plan to do just that,” the assertion concluded. It was signed by Bruce’s daughters – Rumer, Tallulah, Scout, Mabel, and Evelyn Willis – and his spouse, Emma Hemming, and ex-wife, Demi Moore.

Aphasia is “a disorder that affects how you communicate,” per the Mayo Clinic. “It can impact your speech, as well as the way you write and understand both spoken and written language.” The dysfunction could be a side-effect of a stroke or a traumatic mind damage. It may also come on step by step because of a slow-growing mind tumor or a “disease that causes progressive, permanent damage (degenerative).”

The situation sees an individual converse briefly or incomplete sentences, substitute one for one more or one sound for one more, have issue discovering phrases, and wrestle to grasp what they’ve learn.

Bruce’s pals and friends paid tribute to him following this announcement. “Bruce and I became good friends when we shared 2 of our biggest hits together, Pulp Fiction and Look Who’s Talking,” wrote John Travolta. “Years later, he said to me, ‘John, I just want you to know that when something good happens to you, I feel like it’s happening to me.’ That’s how generous a soul he is. I love you, Bruce.”

“It’s been difficult to find the right words for someone I’ve always looked up to—first on the big screen, and then by some wild stroke of luck, in person,” wrote Haley Joel Osment, who starred alongside Bruce in The Sixth Sense. “He’s a true legend who has enriched all of our lives with a singular career that spans nearly half a century. I am so grateful for what I got to witness firsthand, and for the enormous body of work he built for us to enjoy for years and years to come. I just wanted to express the respect and deep admiration I have for Bruce and his family as they move forward with the courage and high spirits that have always defined them.”

Following the announcement, Bruce loved his life with the occasional public sighting. However, in February 2023, his household introduced that his situation had worsened.

“As a family, we wanted to take this opportunity to thank you all for the outpouring of love and compassion for Bruce over the past ten months. Your generosity of spirit has been overwhelming, and we are tremendously grateful for it. For your kindness, and because we know you love Bruce as much as we do, we wanted to give you an update,” the household wrote in an announcement revealed on the Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration web site.

“Since we announced Bruce’s diagnosis of aphasia in spring 2022, Bruce’s condition has progressed, and we now have a more specific diagnosis: frontotemporal dementia (known as FTD),” the assertion continued. “Unfortunately, challenges with communication are just one symptom of the disease Bruce faces. While this is painful, it is a relief to finally have a clear diagnosis.”

“Bruce always believed in using his voice in the world to help others,” the assertion learn, “and to raise awareness about important issues both publicly and privately. We know in our hearts that – if he could today — he would want to respond by bringing global attention and a connectedness with those who are also dealing with this debilitating disease and how it impacts so many individuals and their families.”

“Bruce has always found joy in life – and has helped everyone he knows to do the same. It has meant the world to see that sense of care echoed back to him and to all of us. We have been so moved by the love you have all shared for our dear husband, father, and friend during this difficult time. Your continued compassion, understanding, and respect will enable us to help Bruce live as full a life as possible,” the assertion concluded. It was signed by his household.

What Is Frontotemporal Dementia?

Frontotemporal dementia, in keeping with the Mayo Clinic, is an “umbrella term for a group of brain disorders that primarily affect the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain.” Some of the uncomfortable side effects listed embrace “Increasing difficulty in using and understanding written and spoken language, such as having trouble finding the right word to use in speech or naming objects,” “no longer knowing word meanings,” and “no longer knowing word meanings.”

“FTD is a cruel disease that many of us have never heard of and can strike anyone,” Bruce’s household wrote of their 2023 assertion. “For people under 60, FTD is the most common form of dementia, and because getting the diagnosis can take years, FTD is likely much more prevalent than we know. Today there are no treatments for the disease, a reality that we hope can change in the years ahead. As Bruce’s condition advances, we hope that any media attention can be focused on shining a light on this disease that needs far more awareness and research. ”

“Ours is just one family with a loved one who suffers from FTD, and we encourage others facing it to seek out the wealth of information and support available through AFTD (@theaftd, theaftd.org). And for those of you who have been fortunate enough to not have any personal experience with FTD, we hope that you will take the time to learn about it and support AFTD’s mission in whatever way you can.”

How Long Has Bruce Willis Been Sick?

In the case of Bruce, there have been some suspicions that he was scuffling with the situation years earlier than the announcement. Mike Burns, director of Out of Death, wrote in an e-mail about how Bruce’s position wanted to be diminished. “We also need to abbreviate his dialogue a bit so that there are no monologues, etc,” he wrote, per the Los Angeles Times.

The Los Angeles Times additionally reported that “those who have worked with the elder Willis on his recent films, the actor has been exhibiting signs of decline in recent years. In interviews with The Times this month, nearly two dozen people who were on set with the actor expressed concern about Willis’ well-being.” The unnamed people “questioned whether the actor was fully aware of his surroundings on set,” how he “grappled with his loss of mental acuity,” and had an “inability to remember his dialogue.”

Lala Kent, who appeared in Hard Kill, recounted an incident. “I’m supposed to think my life is about to end, and then my dad steps in to save the day,” Kent advised the Times. Bruce was imagined to ship a line that cued Kent to duck earlier than he fired his gun at a villain.

Bruce didn’t and fired the prop gun earlier than saying the road. “Because my back was to him, I wasn’t aware of what was happening behind me. But the first time, it was like, ‘No big deal, let’s reset,’” she mentioned. The similar factor reportedly occurred on a second and third take, per the Los Angeles Times (a crew member careworn that they at all times made positive everybody was protected and never within the line of fireplace.) Randall Emmett, Kent’s ex and producer on the movie, denied this incident occurred, as did the movie’s armorer.

In a May 2023 essay for Vogue, Tallulah opened up about realizing her dad’s psychological state had modified years earlier than studying of his frontotemporal dementia analysis. When she was a teen (she was 29 when she shared the non-public essay), she seen her dad appear bored with her and generally usually unresponsive to what was occurring round him. She and her household initially blamed it on “Hollywood hearing loss.”

However, she started to take issues to coronary heart and figured the actor not cared about her since he began a brand new household with Emma. “Later, that unresponsiveness broadened, and I sometimes took it personally,” she recalled. “He had had two babies with my stepmother, Emma Heming Willis, and I thought he’d lost interest in me. Though this couldn’t have been further from the truth, my adolescent brain tortured itself with some faulty math: I’m not beautiful enough for my mother, I’m not interesting enough for my father.”

How Is Bruce Willis Doing Today?

On March 19, 2023, Bruce Willis turned 68. He did so whereas surrounded by his family members. In a video shared on Demi Moore’s Instagram, his household sang “Happy Birthday” to him. The Die Hard actor was all smiles whereas conducting this refrain. “Just like that,” he mentioned. He even pulled a faux out when it got here time to blow out his birthday candle.

“So today is my husband’s birthday. I have started the morning by crying, as you can see by my swollen eyes and snotty nose,” commented Bruce’s spouse Emma in a video posted to her Instagram. “I just think it’s important that you see all sides of this. I always get this message, or people tell me, ‘Oh, you’re so strong, I don’t know how you do it.’ I’m not given a choice. I wish I was. But I’m also raising two kids in this, so sometimes in our lives, we have to put our big girl panties on and get to it, and that’s what I’m doing. But I do have times of sadness every day, grief every day, and I’m really feeling it today on his birthday.”

In November 2023, Moonlighting creator Glenn Gordon Caron claimed that Bruce is “not totally verbal” anymore throughout an interview with the New York Post.

“He used to be a voracious reader — he didn’t want anyone to know that — and he’s not reading now,” Glenn mentioned. “All those language skills are no longer available to him, and yet he’s still Bruce.”

While Bruce navigates the powerful analysis, his household has been extraordinarily supportive and unwavering by his aspect. On Thanksgiving later that month, Scout shared a candy video sitting subsequent to her father whereas he held her hand. The uncommon social media look confirmed the deep love the Willis household has for each other.

In November 2025, Rumer responded to a query from a fan through an Instagram Stories Q&A. The fan requested how her dad was doing, to which she replied, “People always ask me this question, and I think it’s kind of a hard one to answer because the truth is that anybody with FTD is not doing great.”