Bruce Willis, the blockbuster actor whose highly successful career spanned four decades, is fighting his toughest battle to date in the form of aphasia, a condition affecting a person’s cognitive abilities. A result of frontotemporal dementia (FTD), his diagnosis was announced by his daughter, Rumer, on Instagram in 2022, with the post also declaring Willis would be retiring from acting.
Two years on from the announcement, the actor’s ex-wife, Demi Moore, has provided an update on his condition.
Bruce Willis had an incredible acting career
Bruce Willis was born in Germany on March 19, 1955. Shortly after, his family moved to New Jersey, where he was raised. He spent the early years of his acting career portraying small, uncredited parts, until he landed a job as David Addison in the TV comedy series, Moonlighting (1985-89).
Following this, he went on to his most iconic film role: John McClane in the Die Hard franchise. With a real talent for switching between hardened action characters and a wise-cracking funny guy, Willis also starred in The Last Boy Scout (1991) and Death Becomes Her (1992). His career extended well into the 2000s, with him starring in even more franchises, including Sin City and Red.
Willis married American actor Demi Moore in 1987, and the two were together for 13 years. They divorced in 2000, but not before welcoming three daughters into the world: Rumer, Scout and Tallulah. Willis later married model and actor Emma Heming.
Retiring from acting
In March 2022, Bruce Willis’ family released a statement, announcing he’d be retiring from acting following an aphasia diagnosis. The disease affects a person’s ability to communicate and process language, in both written and verbal form. In the actor’s case, it is also impacting his cognitive abilities.
The family’s statement, which was shared to Instagram, read:
“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.”
Receiving a clearer diagnosis
In mid-February 2023, the family released another statement, explaining how Bruce Willis’ condition was progressing. Both Rumer Willis and Demi Moore took on Instagram to share the update with his fans.
They wrote, “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.”
Frontotemporal degeneration, also known as Pick’s disease, is the most common form of dementia affecting those younger than 60. Unfortunately, there is no treatment for the disease, so care’s administered via symptom management. FTD has a typical life expectancy of between seven and 13 years from the earliest onset of symptoms.
A touching post on Bruce Willis’ 68th birthday
In August 2022, Emma Heming opened up on Instagram about the grief she’d felt following her husband’s aphasia diagnosis, writing, “My grief can be paralyzing but I’m learning how to live alongside it. As my step-daughter @scoutlaruewillis told me, grief is the deepest and purest form of love.”
For Willis’ 68th birthday in 2023, Heming made an emotional Instagram post, where she described the grief his family felt that day. “Today is my husband’s birthday. I have started the morning by crying, as you can see by my swollen eyes and snotty nose,” she said. “I just think it’s important that you see all sides of this […] I do have times of sadness, every day. Grief, every day. And I’m really feeling it today on his birthday.
His daughter, Scout Willis, also made a birthday post for her father on Instagram, which read, “Today is not necessarily an easy day, because it’s a day full of so deep love, and our grief really does show us the depth of our loving for someone. So I’m trying to be with both today.”
Anniversary memories
For their 10th anniversary, Emma Heming shared a video from 2019, of the couple renewing their vows on their 10-year wedding anniversary. The clip has a montage of the couple surrounded by friends and family by the ocean on the Turks and Caicos Islands, as Coldplay’s “Fix You” plays.
In the post, Heming wrote, “On our 10th wedding anniversary we decided to renew our vows in the same place we said ‘I do’ back in 2009. I’m so happy we did. Seize every opportunity to unite and celebrate with family and friends. Those are the moments and beautiful pockets of memories that you get to hold on to for a lifetime.
“And we get to keep those memories safe and alive for the ones that might not be able to,” she concluded.
Bruce Willis becomes a grandfather
On April 25, 2023, Rumer Willis shared an image and the name of her first child, a daughter named Louetta Isley Thomas Willis. Willis expressed her joy, writing, “You are pure magic. Born at home on Tuesday April 18th. You are more than we ever dreamed of.”
Louetta’s father is Derek Richard Thomas, Willis’ boyfriend.
Tallulah Willis knew ‘something was wrong for a long time’
In a heartfelt and candid personal essay for Vogue, Tallulah Willis discussed her struggles in dealing with her father’s diagnosis. She revealed that, initially, she was “too sick myself to handle it,” speaking of the impact body image issues had on her ability to support her family during the early stages of Willis’ dementia.
The younger Willis wrote, “I admit that I have met Bruce’s decline in recent years with a share of avoidance and denial that I’m not proud of.” She added, “I’ve known that something was wrong for a long time.”
Willis recalled how the signs initially appeared as vague unresponsiveness, which is often mistaken for hearing loss. She admitted that there were times when she took it personally; after her stepmother had two babies with her father, Willis stated she “thought he’d lost interest in me.”
Today, she’s careful to document all the time shared with her father. “He still knows who I am and lights up when I enter the room,” she explained. “I just know that we’d be such good friends if only there were more time.”
Emma Heming feels ‘doom and gloom’
On August 14, 2023, Emma Heming took to Instagram to share an update with her followers. She stressed the importance of self-care for herself and other caretakers. “I just think it’s so important for us to sort of break up our thinking, which can feel, for me, very much like doom and gloom. I know it looks like I’m out, living my best life. I have to make a conscious effort every single day to live the best life I can,” she said.
“My message is simple,” she continued. “When we are not looking after ourselves, we are no good to the people we love who we want to show up for and take care of. I don’t have this down to a fine science either, but I try.”
Heming said their daughters – Mabel and Evelyn – helped keep her going when things were tough. She also thanked her followers for their kind words and support throughout her husband’s battle with dementia. “I am just doing the best that I can always. Your pictures are making me happy,” she said.
Demi Moore says Bruce Willis is in a ‘very stable place’
In a December 2024 interview with CNN, Demi Moore provided an update on her ex-husband’s condition. Speaking with Christine Amanpour, she revealed Bruce Willis is currently in a “very stable place.”
“I’ve shared this before, but I really mean this so sincerely. It’s so important for anybody dealing with this to really meet them where they’re at, and from that place, there is such loving and joy,” she added.
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While Willis may be stable at the moment, Moore revealed that things have been tough since his diagnosis, saying it’s been “difficult” to watch him go through this. “[It’s] not something I would wish upon anyone,” she stated.