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Bruce Willis’ family shocked his fans in 2022 when they announced that he would no longer be acting due to health problems. At the time, the family explained that Willis, now 69, was suffering from aphasia, a disorder that causes difficulties when writing and speaking. In the two years since the announcement, however, fans have learned more about the Die Hard actor’s diagnosis.
Bruce Willis attends the 17th Annual A Great Night In Harlem at The Apollo Theater on April 04, 2019 in New York City. Willis retired from acting in 2022 due to his struggle with dementia…. Bruce Willis attends the 17th Annual A Great Night In Harlem at The Apollo Theater on April 04, 2019 in New York City. Willis retired from acting in 2022 due to his struggle with dementia. (Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images)
Theo Wargo/Getty Images
In February 2023, the Willis family released a statement on the website for The Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration. The statement confirmed to the public that Willis had been diagnosed with “frontotemporal dementia, aka FTD, a degenerative disease that primarily affects communication and behavior.” FTD was the root cause of the aphasia. “Unfortunately,” read the statement, “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 statement came from all the members of Willis’ family. It was signed by his wife, Emma Heming Willis, ex-wife Demi Moore, Willis and Moore’s three daughters Rumer, 36, Scout, 33, and Tallulah, 30, as well Mabel, 12, and Evelyn, 9, the two daughters the actor shares with Emma.
The blended family went on to say that “there are no treatments for the disease, a reality that we hope can change in the years ahead,” and requested that “any media attention can be focused on shining a light on this disease that needs far more awareness and research.”
In that vein, the family has kept things fairly private since the Sixth Sense star’s diagnosis, but Tallulah appeared on Today in September 2024 and gave an update on her father’s condition.
“‘He’s […] stable, which, in this situation is good and is hard,’ said the actress. “There’s painful days, but there’s so much love. It’s really shown me to not take any moment for granted,” she explained. Tallulah also shared an image on Instagram on Thanksgiving day of herself and her sister, Scout, giving their father a “World’s Greatest Dad” sign, which he accepted with a smile. “Grateful,” she wrote in the caption.
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