Bruce Willis Suffering From Dementia, Family Issues Statement

Following the announcement that he would be stepping away from acting due to an aphasia diagnosis, the family of actor Bruce Willis announced that his diagnosis had progressed into frontotemporal dementia.

The news comes via an Instagram post by Willis’ daughter, Rumer, with an expanded statement available on the website for the Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration. The statement confirms that since Willis’ diagnosis in 2022, his condition has progressed, which has led to a “more specific diagnosis” — the aforementioned frontotemporal dementia.

“Our family wanted to start by expressing our deepest gratitude for the incredible outpouring of love, support and wonderful stories we have all received since sharing Bruce’s original diagnosis,” said Willis in the post. “In the spirit of that, we wanted to give you an update about our beloved husband, father and friend since we now have a deeper understanding of what he is experiencing. 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).”

The post goes on to note that “unfortunately, challenges with communication are just one symptom of the disease Bruce faces.” The statement ends with a note that while it is painful, “it is a relief to finally have a clear diagnosis.”

Willis has been a mainstay in the acting world since the 1980s, when he began his career with various uncredited roles and smaller parts before breaking into the spotlight in 1988’s Die Hard, where he starred as John McClane. After that, Willis became an acting superstar, with his movies grossing over $5 billion worldwide across his more than four-decade career. Willis has also been nominated for five Golden Globes (winning one for the TV series Moonlighting), and three Emmys (winning two, one for Moonlighting and one for a guest role on Friends).