One year after the announcement of the diagnosis of aphasia that had forced actor Bruce Willis to retire from the stage, in the last few hours the family of the Hollywood star has communicated to fans that the situation has worsened considerably.
With an official note published on the website of the Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration, the entire family of Bruce Willis – Demi, Emma, Rumer, Scout, Tallulah, Mabel and Evelyn – announced that the diagnosis has changed:
Since we announced the diagnosis of aphasia in the spring of 2022 Bruce’s condition has progressed and we now have a more specific diagnosis: frontotemporal dementia. Sadly, communication difficulties are just one of the symptoms of the disease Bruce has to deal with. While it’s painful, it’s a relief to finally have a clear diagnosis.
The press release was also shared by his ex-wife Demi Moore on her Instagram profile, with a heartfelt thanks to the millions of fans who have showered the entire family with affection over the last year, “for the incredible demonstration of love, support and closeness we have received since sharing Bruce’s diagnosis.”
The disease that struck Bruce Willis is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by progressive loss and deterioration of neurons in specific areas of the central nervous system. It is the most common form of dementia affecting people under the age of 60. Today unfortunately there are no treatments and the only hope lies in research and in the future. Also for this reason, Bruce Willis’ family members have chosen the path of transparency, in the hope that the attention given to this serious degenerative disease can help research make progress in the future.
As Bruce’s condition progresses, we hope that media attention can be focused on shedding light on this disease which needs much more awareness and research.
The difficult and honest press release released in the last few hours was signed by the 67-year-old’s extended family, who has been away from the scene for more than a year now: his ex-wife Demi Moore, his current wife Emma Heming and Bruce’s five children, Rumer, Tallulah and Scouts born from the marriage to Demi and Mabel and Evelyn, Heming’s daughters.
Willis, for decades one of the highest paid stars in Hollywood, had been very busy in the last period of activity, managing, albeit with great difficulty, to complete action thrillers Vendetta alongside Thomas Jane and Mike Tyson and the film Fortress: Sniper’s Eye along with Jesse Metcalfe. At the moment there are six other films in post-production that have seen him busy on the set, even if not in leading roles.
