Even Bruce Willis’ family don’t know if the actor is himself aware of the disease he is suffering from.
Bruce Willis is one of the most loved actors of all time. The American actor is an absolute legend of the industry and is very famous for his action roles in franchises like Die Hard. However, the legendary actor was forced to take a break from acting almost 2 years ago after he was diagnosed with aphasia.
Bruce Willis | Source: Live Free or Die Hard
Bruce Willis was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia
Back in 2022, Bruce Willis started making a lot of headlines after it was announced that the actor was diagnosed with aphasia. As a result, the actor had to retire from acting indefinitely because aphasia directly affects the communication abilities of a person.
In February 2023, Bruce Willis’ wife, Emma Hemming Willis took to Instagram on behalf of her family and gave the fans of the actor an important update about his health. Since her last announcement, the actor’s condition has worsened further, and he was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia. She wrote,
“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.”
It is hard to know if Bruce Willis is aware of his condition | Source: Looper
“Dementia is hard. 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.”
Emma Hemming Willis further revealed that she is also unsure if Bruce Willis is aware of his disease and condition and said, “It’s hard to know.”
As Bruce Willis’ condition continues to worsen, a lot of his fans and his co-stars have voiced their support for the actor.
Arnold Schwarzenegger offers words of encouragement to Bruce Willis
Ever since Bruce Willis was diagnosed with aphasia, fans have continued to pour their support for the legendary action actor. A lot of huge celebrities have also offered their words of encouragement to the actors in this tough time.
Arnold Schwarzenegger talks about Bruce Willis | Source: Expendables 2
In an interview with CinemaBlend, Arnold Schwarzenegger also expressed his love and respect for his co-star Willis and went on to encourage and hype up the actor. He said,
“I think that he’s fantastic. 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. I understand that under his circumstances, health-wise, that he had to retire. But in general, you know, we never really retire. Action heroes, they reload.“
Arnold Schwarzenegger and Bruce Willis’ friendship extended off the screen as well. The duo was also partners in the restaurant Planet Hollywood in its early stages other than being co-stars in the Expendable movies.