Bruce Willis’s family says they finally have a “clear diagnosis” that explains what the “Die Hard” star is suffering from, revealing he has a form of dementia.
Demi Moore, Willis’s ex-wife, wrote on Instagram that in the time since he was diagnosed nearly a year ago with aphasia, his family members have developed a “deeper understanding of what he is experiencing.”
“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,)” read a statement signed by Moore and Willis’s family and published on website for The Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration.
“Unfortunately, challenges with communication are just one symptom of the disease Bruce faces,” Moore said of the 67-year-old actor.
Calling it a “cruel disease that many of us have never heard of,” Moore said FTD is the most common form of dementia for people under the age of 60.
“Today there are no treatments for the disease, a reality that we hope can change in the years ahead,” Moore and Willis’s family wrote.
“While this is painful, it is a relief to finally have a clear diagnosis,” Moore said, thanking fans for the “outpouring of love” and support.
Willis’s daughter, Rumer Willis, announced last year that her father would be stepping away from his career due to his aphasia diagnosis, a language disorder that impacts cognitive abilities.
In their Thursday statement, Willis’s family said that he “always believed in using his voice in the world to help others, and to raise awareness about important issues both publicly and privately.”
“We know in our hearts that — if he could today — he would want to respond by bringing global attention and a connectedness with those who are also dealing with this debilitating disease and how it impacts so many individuals and their families,” they said.