Bruce Willis had his first shot at fame when he starred in ABC’s comedy series Moonlighting. However, landing the role of John McClane in the action film series Die Hard launched him to stardom, and he became a fan-favorite. Willis had a highly successful acting career over four decades before his aphasia diagnosis and retirement in 2022.
Though Willis started showing his dementia symptoms towards the end of his career as he had difficulty reading and memorizing scripts, at the time of his retirement, he had starred in almost a dozen movies that were awaiting release, with his last being Assassin, which was released in 2023.
Bruce Willis’ last role before dementia diagnosis
The Willis family announced that his aphasia diagnosis had progressed to Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) in February 2023, about a month to the release of his last movie. Per his last act in American science fiction, his fans didn’t deem it a worthy bow-out movie for the action star, and some critics claimed his last movie lacked “his trademark twinkle.”
Before Willis’ eventual diagnosis of a neurological disease, he had to tell signs of his symptoms, which impacted his actions during his last days before his final retirement. The actor lost touch with his John McClane tough personnel and could hardly perform his stunts, although he gave a good fight appearing on the movie sets despite experiencing difficulties, but that wasn’t enough for his fans as he wasn’t able to conceal his deteriorating health for a long time.
How is Bruce Willis managing his FTD now?
Following his retirement from acting in 2022, Willis has been in the care of his blended family—his first wife, Demi Moore, and his three grown-up daughters, who have teamed up with his current wife, Emma Heming—who are providing him with all the care and showering him with the love he needs at this time.
Willis’ family seems to understand the assignment of caring for loved ones, and although they know it will only take a “miracle” to reverse the condition. However, they are determined to make his last days memorable and provide him with all the comfort he requires. Willis has been spending quality time with his family and he recently became a grandad when his daughter, Rumer welcomed her daughter, Louetta, in April 2023.