- Rachel Russell
- BBC
A picture taken of Bruce Willis at the New York Film Festival in 2019
The family of the prominent American actor, Bruce Willis, announced that he suffers from frontotemporal dementia.
In a statement on social media, the family said it was a relief to “finally have a clear diagnosis”.
Last year, doctors said that the 67-year-old actor suffers from aphasia, which causes him problems while speaking, but the matter has evolved, and his condition has been diagnosed more specifically, according to what the family explained.
The family expressed their “deep gratitude for the outpouring of love” from his fans.
The family added that frontotemporal dementia is the most common type of dementia among people under 60 years of age.
“Today there is no cure for the disease, a fact that we hope will change in the coming years,” the statement continued.
Willis’s star shone in the eighties and nineties, due to his roles in successful films, such as the “Die Hard” series, “Pulp Fiction”, “Sex Sense” and “Armageddon”.
Willis was nominated 5 times for the Golden Globe Award, including once winning the Best Actor Award, for his role in the movie “Moonlight”, and was nominated for the Emmy Awards 3 times, during which he won twice.
The family said last year that Willis had stopped working because the illness was affecting his mental abilities.
In the latest statement, the family said it hoped the media attention would raise awareness of Willis’ condition.
“Bruce has always believed in using his voice to support others around the world and raise awareness about important issues, both publicly and personally,” the statement added.
And the statement continued, “We know in our hearts that if he was able today, he would try himself to spread global awareness and enhance communication with people dealing with these diseases, and how they affect many people and their families.”
The statement was signed by a number of Willis family members, including his wife Emma Hemming, with whom he has two daughters, as well as his ex-wife, actress Demi Moore, and his three daughters.
According to the British Health Services website, frontotemporal dementia is “uncommon” and causes imbalances, behavioral and language suffering.
Symptoms also include difficulties in movement, loss of bladder and bowel control, although these symptoms come at a late stage of the disease.
