His family said that Bruce Willis has been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia (FTD).
In March 2022, the 67-year-old Hollywood star was diagnosed with aphasia, a brain disorder that causes difficulty with language and speech.
At the time, his family said he would “step away” from acting.
His current wife, Emma Heming Willis, and his ex-wife, Demi Moore, as well as his children Rumer, Scout, Tallulah, Mabel, and Evelyn, signed a statement about how his health was getting worse.
They said:
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).
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 NHS says that FTD changes a person’s personality, behavior, language, and ability to move because it affects the front and sides of the brain.
As with other types of dementia, this one comes on slowly at first but gets worse over time.
Since Willis’s family told people about his aphasia 10 months ago, there has been “an outpouring of love and compassion.”
Your generosity of spirit has been overwhelming, and we are tremendously grateful for it,
the statement said.
The family hopes that letting people know about Willis’s condition will bring attention to FTD, which has no treatments at the moment.
His relatives said:
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.
The family also hopes that the public’s understanding and respect will “help Bruce live as full a life as possible.”
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,
they said.
Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration member Sharon Denny said:
It’s a very difficult diagnosis, there’s no question about it.
The challenges and the burden of care on families is significant… We know and the community of folks we’re connected to know just how challenging the disease is for families to be able to manage the symptoms and to face the loss of someone gradually over time.
It really is a devastating diagnosis
In the 1980s, the hit TV show “Moonlighting” brought Bruce Willis and Cybill Shepherd to the attention of the whole country.
In 1988, Bruce Willis played John McClane in Die Hard, which was a huge hit. He went on to be in movies like Pulp Fiction, 12 Monkeys, and The Sixth Sense.
Over the course of four decades, he was in more than 100 movies that grossed more than $5 billion (£4.17 billion) worldwide.
