In late March 2022,Bruce Willis’ family announced that the actor would be “stepping away” from acting after being diagnosed with the neurodegenerative disease aphasia.

“Too 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 family’s statement read. “Consequently of this and with much consideration Bruce is stepping away from the career that has meant so much to him.”

The letter was signed by Willis’ wife, Emma Heming Willis, and ex-wife, Demi Moore; his three kids with Moore, Rumer, Scout, and Tallulah; and two kids with Heming Willis, Mabel, and Evelyn.

The declaration signaled the end of the career of one of contemporary Hollywood’s most beloved movie stars. Over four decades, Willis was a near-constant presence in the film industry, notching memorable roles in hits like Die Hard, Pulp fiction, The Fifth element, Armageddon and the Sixth Sense. In the final years of his career, however, Willis took numerous small roles in direct-to-video action flicks, reportedly making about 22 movies in four years of his career as his mental state deteriorated.

(A Los Angeles Times report from last year suggested Willis’ cognitive decline had long been apparent. According to the story, Willis often struggled to remember lines, sometimes exhibited confusion about his whereabouts, and allegedly, while making one movie, fired a prop gun on the wrong cue.)

Tributes Pour In for Bruce Willis following Aphasia Diagnosis

“All my love and respect to my big brother Bruce Willis,” Shyamalan tweeted. “I know his wonderful family is surrounding him with support and strength. He will always be that hero on that poster on my wall as kid.”

Meanwhile, on Instagram, Osment shared an old photo of Willis and wrote, “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. 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.”

April 1, 2022
A few days after the Willis family’s announcement, Willis’ daughter, Rumer, shared an old photo of her and her father making faces, alongside a note that was perfect for April Fool’s Day: “I love you daddio, to the 🌙 and Back. Thank you for teaching me to be so silly. I love laughing with you.”

June 30,2022
Many of Willis’ final films were direct-to-video action movies,and he frequently worked with the producer/director randall Emmett. In late june 2022, the Los Angeles Times published an extensive report about Emmett’s crumbling direct-to-video empire, detailing a growing pile of lawsuits from financiers and also allegations of abuse and inappropriate behavior.July 17, 2022
Even though Die Hard is absolutely a Christmas movie, it was released as a summer blockbuster in July 1988. Thirty-four years after the film’s release, heming Willis shared a video of Willis returning to the roof of Nakatomi Plaza (which is actually just the Fox Plaza in los Angeles), pairing the footage with clips from the original film and aptly syncing it to Beethoven’s 9th Symphony.

Aug. 16, 2022
One of the more unique paths Willis pursued at the height of his powers was music, releasing a pair of blues rock albums in the late Eighties (the Return of Bruno in 1987 and If It Don’t Kill You, It just Makes You Stronger in 1989). Though he didn’t release any more albums after that, music has remained a big part of his life, even amidst his diagnosis (music has been shown to have a blank”>positive impact on people battling dementia). Late last summer, Willis showed off his harmonica chops as he jammed with musician Derek Richard Thomas (whom, it later turned out, was blank”>dating Rumer willis), in an blank”>Instagram video shared by Heming Willis. “Their talent is speaking for itself. I’ll just leave this here,” Heming Willis wrote in the caption.

Aug. 30 and 31, 2022
Six months after Willis’ family announced his aphasia diagnosis, Heming Willis opened up about learning to “live alongside” grief on blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener nofollow”>Instagram. “This was the summer of self discovery – finding new hobbies, going out of my comfort zone and staying active,” she wrote. “My grief can be paralyzing but I’m learning how to live along side it. As my step-daughter @scoutlaruewillis told me, grief is the deepest and purest form of love. I hope you find some comfort in that too.”

While Heming Willis got plenty of support in return, being that the internet is generally a terrible place, there were a few obnoxious critics in her comments. In a follow-up post on Instagram Stories, Hem

Bruce Willis’ Family Shares Update on Dementia Battle

bruce Willis’ family announced in February 2023 that the actor was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia (FTD), a progressive brain disorder that affects personality, behavior, and language. Since then,his wife,Emma Heming Willis,and daughters Rumer,Scout,and Tallulah Willis have been open about the challenges of navigating the disease and the importance of raising awareness.

On Sept. 22, 2023, the family released a joint statement on social media, expressing gratitude for the outpouring of support they have received.”The astonishing outpouring of love and support for Bruce has been so moving,” the statement read. “Our family is deeply touched by the kindness and compassion shown by so many. We are continuing to navigate this journey together, and we appreciate you all being with us.”

After the statement was shared, Scout Willis thanked fans again for the support on her Instagram Story, writing: “feeling emotionally tired and a bit overwhelmed, yet also very in awe of the love so many people have for my papa.” Both Rumer and Tallulah re-posted the note with messages of their own.

Sept. 25, 2023
In her first on-camera interview since Willis was diagnosed, the actor’s wife Emma heming Willis appeared on TODAY to share an update on his condition. “Dementia is hard,” she shared. “It’s hard on the person diagnosed, it’s also hard on the family. And that is no different for Bruce, or myself, or our girls. When they say this is a family disease, it really is.”

Heming Willis went on to explain that it is “hard to know” whether the actor is aware of his condition, as there is still much unknown about FTD and how it presents in patients.”What we certainly know is obviously the disease can start in the frontal or the temporal lobes, like the name signifies,” she continued. “And one of the things the frontal lobe controls is self-insight, so we really don’t know. Some people, the first thing they lose is any understanding that they themselves have changed. And other people retain that for a long time.”

She added that while the disease has taken a toll on their family as a whole, being honest and obvious about Willis’ condition has been helpful. “It was important that we let them know what it is because I don’t want there to be