Judith Pena | February 16, 2023
With an emotional letter, the family of actor Bruce Willis, 67, announced that the “Die Hard” suffers from frontotemporal dementia, a disease that has no cure and whose diagnosis gives a life expectancy of 6 to 8 years.
Here the statement:
“As a family, we wanted to take this opportunity to thank you all for the outpouring of love and compassion for Bruce over the last ten months. His generosity of spirit has been overwhelming and we are tremendously grateful for it. Because of his kindness and because we know he loves Bruce as much as we do, we wanted to give him an update.
Since we announced Bruce’s aphasia diagnosis in the spring of 2022, Bruce’s condition has progressed and we now have a more specific diagnosis: Frontotemporal Dementia (known as FTD). Unfortunately, the challenges with communication are just a symptom of the illness Bruce is facing. While this is painful, it is a relief to finally have a clear diagnosis.
FTD is a cruel disease that many of us have never heard of, and it can affect anyone. For people under the age of 60, FTD is the most common form of dementia, and because it can take years to be diagnosed, FTD is likely much more common than we know. Today there are no treatments for the disease, a reality that we hope may change in the coming years. As Bruce’s condition progresses, we hope that the media attention can be focused on shedding light on this disease that needs much more awareness and research.
Bruce always believed in using his voice in the world to help others and raise awareness about important issues both in public and in private. We know in our hearts that if I could today, I would want to respond by bringing global attention and a connection to those who are also dealing with this debilitating disease and how it affects so many people and their families.
Ours is just one family with a loved one suffering from FTD, and we encourage others dealing with it to seek out the wealth of information and support available through AFTD (@theaftd, theaftd.org). And for those of you who have been lucky enough not to have any personal experience with FTD, we hope you’ll take the time to learn about it and support AFTD’s mission in any way you can.
Bruce has always found joy in life and has helped everyone he knows to do the same. It has meant that the world sees that sense of caring resonating with him and with all of us. He has been very touched by the love that everyone has shared for our dear husband, father, and friend during this difficult time. His continued compassion, understanding and respect will enable us to help Bruce live as full a life as possible.
-Emma, Demi, Rumer, Scout, Tallulah, Mabel and Evelyn»
