In a sad Instagram post, the 67-year-old actor’s ex-wife, Demi Moore, told the world that he was sick. After Bruce Willis’s original diagnosis was made public, Moore said, “Our family wanted to start by expressing our deepest gratitude for the amazing outpouring of love, support, and wonderful stories we have all received.” We now know more about what our husband, father, and friend is going through, so we thought it was important to let you know what’s going on with him.
Added to that, she said As we said when we first told Bruce’s aphasia diagnosis in the spring of 2022, his health has gotten worse and we now have a more accurate diagnosis: frontotemporal dementia (also known as FTD). Bruce’s illness has many bad effects, one of which is that he has trouble communicating. Even if it hurts, it’s good to know for sure what’s wrong.
The National Institute on Aging says that frontotemporal dementia is caused by the loss of neurons in the frontal and temporal lobes. “Weird behaviour,” “emotional problems,” “difficulty speaking,” “difficulty working,” and “difficulty walking” are some of the possible side effects.
Willis and Emma Heming, his wife, have two children, Mabel and Evelyn. They got married in March of 2009 and now live in Turks and Caicos.
The actor and Moore were married for 12 years. Rumer, Scout, and Tallulah, their three daughters, are still close.
In a message posted on the AFTD website, the family talked about the “cruel illness” in more detail.
Even though getting a diagnosis could take years, it’s possible that FTD is much more common than we think, especially in people under 60. There are no treatments for the disease right now, but “we hope that will change in the coming years.”
Bruce was sure that speaking up in public and in private was the best way to bring attention to important issues and help other people. From the bottom of our hearts, we know that if he were here with us today, he would want to respond by bringing global attention to those who are also dealing with this debilitating disease and a sense of connection with those who are also dealing with how it affects so many people and their families.
The Willis family told other people with FTD to “seek out the abundance of knowledge and support available through AFTD” and to keep fighting for more research and public understanding of the disease.
Bruce has always been able to find happiness and share it with everyone he meets. The statement went on to say that giving him and the rest of us that feeling of care back has meant the world.
During this hard time, it has meant a lot to us that so many people cared about our late husband, father, and friend. Together, with your constant kindness, tolerance, and respect, we can make sure Bruce has the best life possible.
Emma, Moore, their five daughters Rumer, Scout, Tallulah, Mabel, and Evelyn, and Willis all signed the statement.
After Willis was diagnosed with aphasia in March, his family announced in April that he would no longer be acting. People with the disease find it hard to talk to and write to other people.
The National Aphasia Association says that over 180,000 new cases of aphasia are found every year. This means that over 2 million Americans have aphasia.
In older people, aphasia is most often caused by a stroke, but it is always caused by a brain injury. It is thought that between 25% and 40% of people who survive a stroke also have a disorder called aphasia, which makes it hard for them to talk.
Willis will soon join all the other grandfathers. His oldest daughter, Rumer, said that she is going to have her first child in December.