Bruce Willis’ Condition Worsens With Frontotemporal Dementia Diagnosis
Actor Bruce Willis has been newly diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia, a serious indication of a progression of the aphasia his family announced in 2022.
Willis’ family made the new announcement today.
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“FTD is a cruel disease that many of us have never heard of and can strike anyone,” says the statement, attributed to Willis’ wife Emma Hemming Willis, ex-wife Demi Moore and children Rumer, Scout, Tallulah, Mabel and Evelyn.
In March 2022, the family announced that the Die Hard, Armageddon and Pulp Fiction star was “stepping away” from acting due to aphasia, a condition that affects ability to speak, write and understand language.
Today, the family updated that news, writing, “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.”
Willis’ family then goes on to express thanks to Willis’ many fans. “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 67-year-old Willis skyrocketed to fame as the co-star, with Cybill Shepherd, of the comedy-drama crime-solving series Moonlighting (1985-89). The two stars portrayed partners in a private detective agency, with the will-they-or-won’t-they romance dynamic rivaled at the time only by Ted Danson and Shelley Long of Cheers.
Big screen superstardom followed for Willis when he starred as John McClane in the mega-popular Die Hard franchise from 1988 to 2013. Other major credits include Pulp Fiction (1994), 12 Monkeys (1995), Armageddon (1998), The Sixth Sense (1999) and Unbreakable (2000), among many others.
Read the full statement from Willis’ family, posted on the website of Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration, below:
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.
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.
FTD is a cruel disease that many of us have never heard of and can strike anyone. 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.
Bruce always believed in using his voice in the world to help others, 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.
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.
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.
— Emma, Demi, Rumer, Scout, Tallulah, Mabel and Evelyn
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