Famous Hollywood star Bruce Willis’ family revealed that he was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia nearly a year after announcing that he was battling aphasia.
The 67-year-old’s family announced the sad news in a lengthy statement on Thursday, February 16, saying it was a relief to finally get a clear diagnosis.
In the spring of last year, Willis was diagnosed with aphasia, a condition that presents patients with difficulties in speaking, writing, and understanding verbal and written language. According to the statement, the aphasia has progressed, and the doctors gave them a specific diagnosis.
The statement, posted on the Frontotemporal Degeneration Association (FTD) website, says that even though the diagnosis was a painful pill for the family to swallow, they were happy to get a clear diagnosis.
The family said there are no treatments for FTD, but they hoped that would change in the future. They also called for some media attention to be focused on the disease as it needs more research and awareness.
Willis’ wife, Emma Heming, his ex-wife Demi Moore and his five daughters put out a statement saying that if the “Die Hard” star could speak about his situation, he would want more global attention to the disease, in order to spread awareness to people suffering from it.
The family also expressed their gratitude for the overwhelming love that the actor has received.
Bruce Willis rose to fame in the 80s and 90s after becoming a much-loved action hero in movies like The Sixth Sense, Die Hard, Pulp Fiction, and Armageddon.
The actor has received five Golden Globe nominations and won one. He was also nominated for three Emmys and won two. Willis retired from his acting career in March 2022 after aphasia started to affect his cognitive abilities.
Actor Aaron Paul, from the award-winning series Breaking Bad, sent his love to Willis and his family and called the actor a “damn legend.” Singer and Actress Queen Latifah also sent her love in an Instagram post.
