The world has been offered an update on dad Bruce Willis following his devastating dementia diagnosis.
He was spotted taking a final ride on Disney’s Splash Mountain.
In a sweet video shared on Instagram.
Now, Willis’s personal life is rarely out of the headlines these days…
And there’s certainly a reason why!
He’s got quite a big family, some might say.
The Die Hard actor shares 3 children with ex-wife Demi Moore – thirty-two-year-old Rumer, twenty-nine-year-old Scout, and twenty-seven-year-old Tallulah.
He is currently married to Emma Heming Willis…
And they share 2 daughters together – 8-year-old Mabel and 6-year-old Evelyn.
Now, people have always admired Bruce Willis and Demi Moore for their lack of drama and conflict over the years…
And unlike many divorced couples, Moore and Willis have co-parented their kids wonderfully with very minimal drama.
Millions were quarantining themselves in their homes due to the global pandemic…
And with the lockdown not excluding the rich and famous, Demi also had to quarantine… With her ex-husband.
Alongside quarantining with her 3 daughters and their partners in the summer of 2020…
Willis decided to stay with them — forming one big, happy family.
It was, of course, refreshing to see a divorced couple maintaining such a strong and healthy friendship…
And from the looks on everyone’s faces, it formed an incredibly happy family environment.
However, there was one thing on everyone’s mind…
What did Willis’ current wife, Emma Hemming Willis, think of this?
It can’t have been easy having your husband choose to quarantine with an ex…
But amazingly so, she took to Instagram to comment on the family photo, saying: “Not many can pull that color off! Lookin’ good squad.”
And it didn’t take long for Demi to weigh in on the unconventional setup.
The actress opened up to her friend, Naomi Campbell on her YouTube series, No Filter with Naomi, about spending the early part of her quarantine in Idaho with her ex-husband, their 3 daughters, and later Willis’ 2 younger daughters and his current wife, Emma.
”There’s been a lot of challenges and a lot of tragedy with the pandemic, but I also think there’s been a lot of gifts and blessings.”
She then continued: “I personally feel like I was really grateful for things slowing down and the time that we had. It worked out that Bruce came and spent time with us and then his current wife and their small daughters joined a little bit later when the kids were finished with school.”
“It was really a blessing,” she said of the experience.
“It’s everything that’s come forward has allowed us to reevaluate what’s important and what needs attention that has been overlooked and neglected. It was amazing.”
Emma didn’t seem to have an issue at all…
Showing how much trust and love she has for her husband!
Willis and Emma clearly have a very strong and healthy marriage…
And their 2 young daughters seem so happy with their loving family life.
But in more recent times…
Heartbreaking news has fallen on the family, that has caused Willis to step back from acting.
Willis has been diagnosed with aphasia, which, according to the Mayo Clinic, is a brain condition that prevents cognitive abilities from working as they should.
It is usually lessened with speech therapy, however, “although most people make significant progress, few people regain full pre-injury communication levels,” the organization says.
Willis’ family gave a statement about the news on social media…
Writing in an Instagram post, they said: “To 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. As a result of this and with much consideration, Bruce is stepping away from the career that has meant so much to him.”
“This is a really challenging time for our family and we are so appreciative of your continued love, compassion, and support,” it continued.
“We are moving through this as a strong family unit, and wanted to bring his fans in because we know how much he means to you, as you do to him.”
They concluded: “As Bruce always says, ‘Live it up’ and together we plan to do just that.”
Since the news of Willis’ health went viral, many celebrities have spoken out with words of support after finding out about his diagnosis…
John Travolta, who worked alongside Willis in Pulp Fiction shared a heartwarming tribute to the star.
Travolta called Willis a “generous soul” in his Instagram post.
“Bruce and I became good friends when we shared 2 of our biggest hits together, Pulp Fiction and Look Who’s Talking,” John began. “Years later he said to me, ‘John, I just want you to know that when something good happens to you I feel like it’s happening to me.’ That’s how generous a soul he is. I love you, Bruce.”
As we know, Willis has been known for many incredible movies over the years, and as popular as Pulp Fiction is, he is most recognizable as Detective John McClane in Die Hard.
McClane in Die Hard is what shot Willis into stardom, after this he went on to act in such films as The Fifth Element, The Sixth Sense, and Sin City.
Despite being typecast as a Hollywood hard man, Willis also gained a Golden Globe for his role as a private detective in
Moonlighting.
Sadly, his medical condition has meant he has had to step away from acting.
However, it looks like there is a future for Willis’ career…
He has reportedly sold the rights to his digital twin, which will allow him to appear in movies without him actually having to be on set.
“I liked the precision with which my character turned out. It’s a mini-movie in my usual action-comedy genre.
“For me, it is a great opportunity to go back in time. With the advent of modern technology, even when I was on another continent, I was able to communicate, work and participate in the filming,” he said in a statement.
“It’s a very new and interesting experience, and I thank our entire team,” Willis added.
However, some are worried about the way this new technology could change the acting world.
“Is he in his right mind to even agree to this? Last I heard, his illness messes with his comprehension too. I just hope he actually agreed to do this and no one is trying to take advantage of him,” one person wrote.
More recently, Willis’ family has offered a heartbreaking health update.
“They know he won’t be around forever,” the insider told Radar Online.
“So they’re cherishing every single moment.”
“Bruce can’t say much, and it doesn’t seem like he’s grasping much of what others say,” the insider continued.
“There are days when they see glimpses of the old Bruce, but they are brief and far between.
“It seems he’s slipping further away from them, and it breaks their heart.
“The girls can’t imagine Christmas without Bruce.
“It’s been painful to see him deteriorate. The older girls miss the old Bruce.”
But now, Bruce has been hit with another heartbreaking diagnosis.
His family has revealed the actor has been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia (FTD).
They wrote following statement on The Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration’s website:
“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.
“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).
“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.”
“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.”
Then, more heartbreaking details of Bruce’s condition were revealed.
The Daily Mail reports that Willis allegedly misfired guns during movie takes.
Willis also wore an earpiece on set the help instruct him as to what he was supposed to be doing.
He was also spotted asking: “I know why you’re here, and I know why you’re here, but why am I here?”
One crew member told the LA Times: “Someone would give him a line and he didn’t understand what it meant. He was just being puppeted.”
And now, heartbreaking new facts about FTD have the internet in a spin.
There is no cure for the condition, and life expectancy of those who are diagnosed is between 7 and 13 years.
At a low estimate, there are 50-60,000 FTD sufferers in the USA alone.
But diagnosis is very difficult, so the real estimate may be much higher.
However, Willis’s family has made clear their intentions to use this tragic diagnosis to raise awareness of the condition.
Soon after, Willis’s wife Emma spoke out to disrespectful paparazzi.
“If you are someone who is looking after someone with dementia, you know how difficult and stressful it can be to get someone out into the world and to navigate them safely, even just to get a cup of coffee,” she said on Instagram.
“It’s clear that there’s still a lot of education that needs to be put forth. So this one is going out to the photographers and video people that are trying to get those exclusives of my husband out and about.”
“Just keep your space.”
“I know this is your job, but maybe just keep your space. Please don’t be yelling at my husband, asking how he’s doing, whatever.”
“The woo-hooing and the yippee-ki-yay’s — just don’t do it.
“Give him the space. Allow for our family or whoever’s with him that day to be able to get him from Point A to Point B safely. That’s my PSA.”
It was then revealed that Demi Moore had reportedly moved into the Willis family home to help out.
“Demi has moved in, and she is not leaving until the very end,” sources close to the family told Radar Online.
“At first no one outside the family could understand what Demi was doing living with her ex and his new wife, but now it makes sense,” the insider continued.
“Demi has been a rock for the family and is determined to make sure every day Bruce has left on earth will be filled with love.”
However, Emma then revealed what was actually going on.
Fox News reports she took to Instagram Stories where she shared the claim, before writing: “Let’s nip this one in the bud. This is so dumb. Please stop.”
Emma has also opened up about Bruce’s 68th birthday celebration.
“I have started the morning by crying, as you can see by my swollen eyes,” she said in an Instagram video.
“It’s important that you see all sides of this,” she continued.
“I always get this message where people always tell me, ‘Oh you’re so strong. I don’t know how you do it.'”
“I’m not given a choice. I wish I was but I’m also raising two kids in this.
“Sometimes in our lives, we have to put our big girl panties on and get to it, and that’s what I’m doing. But I do have times of sadness every day, grief every day and I’m really feeling it today on his birthday.”
“As much as I do it for myself, I do it for you because I know how much you love my husband,” she concluded.
But that’s not all …
Bruce Willis himself also spoke publicly for the first time.
Demi Moore shared a video of the star celebrating his 68th birthday.
She captioned the post: “Happy birthday, BW! So glad we could celebrate you today. Love you and love our family. Thank you to everyone for the love and warm wishes — we all feel them.”
And in it, Bruce was seen joining in with his birthday song and chanting “hip hip hooray!”
Check it out right here.
But fans noticed somethig disturbing from the viral clip.
It looks as though Willis is missing a tooth.
“Does no one care Bruce is missing a front tooth … What happened there?” wrote one commenter.
“Bruce is missing a tooth,” said another.
Emma Heming then made headlines once more.
As she commented on Bruce’s relationship with his first wife, Demi!
In her Instagram story she shared an old black-and-white photo of the former couple.
“I liked them together as well,” she wrote under the photo, adding the smiling face with hearts emoji.
Hemming then offered a heartbreaking update on Bruce.
She shared a story about nine-year-old Evelyn, the daughter she shared with Bruce.
“I’m gonna try and do it without crying because when Evelyn told me this story, I was an absolute puddle,” she said on her Instagram story.
“So Evelyn says to me the other day, ‘Did you know that people with dementia can become severely dehydrated?'”
“And I said, oh, I said, I didn’t know that.”
“She says, ‘Well, I was at school the other day and she said, and I had some free time and I was looking up fun facts about dementia.'”
“So I said to her, I said, ‘Ok, Evelyn, we will always make sure that daddy has a bottle of water in hand. Thank you for letting me know.'”
“And I said, ‘But, you know, that is the most loving and compassionate thing that you can do is to be curious and educate yourself on your dad’s disease.'”
What she had to say was heartbreaking to hear.
But it’s clear that the family is doing everything they can to make him comfortable through it all.
Arnold Schwarzenegger has also offered some words of support.
“I think that he’s fantastic,” Schwarzenegger said of Willis to CinemaBlend.
“He was, always for years and years, is a huge, huge star.”
“And I think that he will always be remembered as a great, great star. And a kind man.”
Tallulah Willis then penned a heartbreaking essay about her dad for Vogue.
She spoke out about grief and healing.
“I admit that I have met Bruce’s decline in recent years with a share of avoidance and denial that I’m not proud of,” she admits.
“The truth is that I was too sick myself to handle it.”
She adds: “There’s this little creature changing by the hour, and there’s this thing happening with my dad that can shift so quickly and unpredictably.”
“It feels like a unique and special time in my family, and I’m just so glad to be here for it.”
Tallulah also revealed the symptoms of dementia that her family had missed.
“I’ve known that something was wrong for a long time,” she writes.
“It started out with a kind of vague unresponsiveness, which the family chalked up to Hollywood hearing loss: ‘Speak up! Die Hard messed with Dad’s ears.’”
“He had had two babies with my stepmother, Emma Heming Willis, and I thought he’d lost interest in me,” she goes on. “Though this couldn’t have been further from the truth, my adolescent brain tortured itself with some faulty math: I’m not beautiful enough for my mother, I’m not interesting enough for my father.”
You can read the full essay here.
And now, Willis has taken a final ride on Disney’s Splash Mountain.
The ride is set to close down and reopen as Tiana Bayou.
“You bet this family will be back for more fun and laughs when you reopen as Tiana Bayou! Thanks for all the memories Splash Mountain,” Emma Heming Willis wrote.
You can see the post right here.