The ‘Die Hard’ star was diagnosed in February 2023.
Bruce Willis’ daughter Rumer has provided fans with an update on her dad’s battle with a rare and aggressive form of dementia.
The 69-year-old received a frontotemporal dementia diagnosis in early 2023, a year after retiring from his acting career.
According to the NHS website, FTD is different from the more well-known type of dementia, Alzheimer’s disease. But unlike Alzheimer’s, memory is not the first to go.
Aphasia – difficulty speaking and putting thoughts into words – is the first symptom for most. Willis has been struggling with this since the spring of 2022.
FTD also warps people’s personalities, as it affects the region of the brain responsible for mood regulation, prompting sudden violent outbursts, inappropriateness in public, a lack of self-awareness, and anxiety.
Like other types of dementia, frontotemporal dementia tends to develop slowly and get gradually worse over several years.
The Armageddon star has five daughters in total – Mabel and Evelyn with his current wife Emma, and Scout, Tallulah and Rumer with his ex-partner, Demi Moore.
Rumer appeared on the popular US talk show Today with Hoda & Jenna earlier this week, and opened up to the hosts about her dad’s struggle with the condition.
When asked how her Dad was doing, Rumer replied: “He’s so good.”
She added that he has a wonderful relationship with her own daughter Louetta: “They had some sweet moments during their last visit together, which was recently. Lou is just starting to walk a little bit, and she was walking over to him, and it was so sweet.
“He’s a girl dad, through and through. I saw him with my sisters, my little sisters. So you’re seeing that all come back again.”
When asked about the impact of Bruce’s battle on the rest of the family, she said: “It’s one of those things that is always evolving, but the most beautiful aspect of it is the depth of loving it reveals. When you take away some of the stuff that gets in the way of how we all connect everyday, it can be so powerful.”
Another of Willis’ daughters, Tallulah, spoke on The Drew Barrymore Show recently about her own relationship with her beloved father, saying: “I see love when I’m with him, and it’s my dad, and he loves me.
“Playing music… and sitting in that and this energy of love, it’s really special.”
Related Links:
Bruce Willis speaks publicly for first time since dementia diagnosis while celebrating 68th birthday
Bruce Willis is no longer totally verbal after dementia diagnosis
Bruce Willis’ friend shares heartbreaking health update on the legendary actor
Quentin Tarantino looking to have Bruce Willis star in his final movie
