On Thursday, the family of Bruce Willis announced on social media that the actor has been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia (FTD), a group of disorders that affect the nerve cells in the brain’s frontal lobes. This condition can impact personality, behavior, as well as the ability to understand communication and use language.
Willis, well-known for his roles in movies like Die Hard, The Sixth Sense, Pulp Fiction, and Unbreakable, had stepped away from acting in 2022 due to aphasia symptoms, which is a symptom of FTD. In an Instagram post, actor and ex-wife Demi Moore shared that Willis had been diagnosed with the disease.
According to a statement released by Willis’s family, the actor is struggling with various issues due to the progression of the disease. FTD is a devastating illness, and the family hopes that more attention and resources will be dedicated to finding treatments for it.
The statement read, “FTD is a cruel disease that many of us have never heard of and can strike anyone. Today there are no treatments for the disease, a reality that we hope can change in the years ahead.”
The family also expressed their desire to bring attention to the disease and the impact it has on individuals and families. “We know in our hearts that — if he could today — he would want to respond by bringing global attention and connectedness with those who are also dealing with this debilitating disease and how it impacts so many individuals and their families.”
The news of Bruce Willis’s diagnosis is a reminder of the importance of awareness, early diagnosis, and research in finding treatments for devastating illnesses like FTD.
