Family gives update on Willis’ battle with dementia, aphasia
Bruce Willis’ daughter gave an update last week on his battle with frontotemporal dementia and aphasia, which last year led the movie star to retire from acting.
The “Pulp Fiction” star, 68, is doing well, according to 29-year-old daughter Tallulah, one of three adult daughters he shares with ex-wife Demi Moore.
“He is the same, which I think in this regard I’ve learned is the best thing you can ask for,” the younger Willis
said during her appearance on “The Drew Barrymore Show” Wednesday.
“I see love when I’m with him, and it’s my dad and he loves me, which is really special.”
In March of last year, Tallulah’s sister Rumer announced their father’s diagnosis and retirement on Instagram.
“As a result of this and with much consideration Bruce is stepping away from the career that has meant so much to him,” read the post signed by the “Die Hard” actor’s wife, daughters and Moore, 60.
Frontotemporal dementia affects parts of the brain “generally associated with personality, behavior and language,” according to the Mayo Clinic. Aphasia affects a person’s reading or writing abilities, as well as their ability to speak and understand speech, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.
As for why the family shared the “Moonlighting” star’s condition, Tallulah said the decision was “two-fold.”
“On one hand it’s who we are as a family but also it’s really important for us to spread awareness,” she explained.
Back in September, Willis’ wife Emma Heming Willis — with whom he shares two young daughters — told NBC’s “Today” that “it’s hard to know” how aware he is of what he’s going through.
“Dementia is hard,” Heming Willis, 45, said at the time. “It’s hard on the person diagnosed, it’s also hard on the family. And that is no different for Bruce, or myself, or our girls. When they say this is a family disease, it really is.”