Bruce Willis has received messages of support from his celebrity friends after it was revealed he was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia (FTD) – less than a year after he retired from acting due to his battle with aphasia.
The Hollywood icon, 67, retired from acting last year as he began his battle with the illness that was causing his language skills to deteriorate – and now his condition has worsened, according to a joint statement from his family on Thursday ” progressive” developed.
FTD affects the lobes of the brain behind the forehead that deal with behavior, problem-solving, planning, and emotions — with symptoms such as personality changes, obsessive behavior, and difficulty speaking.
Stars including Aaron Paul, Selma Blair, Alyssa Milano, Ireland Baldwin, Paris Hilton and Marlon Wayans took to social media to praise Willis and extend their love to the Die Hard star and his beloved family.
Writing on Rumer Willis’ post, ‘Breaking Bad’ star Paul said: “Love you so much my friend! Sending hugs to you and your beautiful family. Your pops is such a fucking legend.
Bruce Willis received messages of support from his celebrity friends after it was revealed he was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia (FTD).
Wilmer Valderrama wrote “Sending you all my love” while Selma Blair wrote “Sending love”.
Queen Latifah wrote: “God bless you my brother we love you!!! all the best. Thank you to you and your family for all the entertainment!!!’
Ireland Baldwin commented, “Sending all my love to you and your family, always,” while Paris Hilton wrote, “Sending love to you all,” and Alyssa Milano wrote, “Sending love to you.”
Wayans wrote on Willis’ ex-wife Demi Moore’s post: “Love to you, him and the family. You are an amazing person. It’s nice to honor him and your family for who you are. Makes my heart smile
Helena Christensen wrote: “Sending you so much love, it’s so wonderful that you are such a close-knit family, it makes all the difference
Rita Wilson wrote: “Thank you for sharing this with us. Send Bruce and all families love.’
Willis’ wife Emma Heming, ex-wife Demi Moore and five daughters shared his diagnosis in a joint statement posted to the Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration website, which read, “Our family first wanted our deepest gratitude for the incredible outpouring of Expressing love , support and wonderful stories we have all received since sharing Bruce’s original diagnosis.
“With that in mind, we wanted to give you an update on our beloved husband, father and friend as we now have a deeper understanding of what he is experiencing.
Stars including Aaron Paul, Selma Blair, Alyssa Milano, Ireland Baldwin, Paris Hilton and Marlon Wayans took to social media to praise Willis and extend their love to the Die Hard star and his beloved family.
Bruce Willis’ family said the star’s condition was “progressive”. FTD affects the brain lobes behind the forehead that deal with behavior, problem solving, planning and emotions (pictured with LR wife Emma Heming, ex-wife Demi Moore and daughters Scout, Tallulah, Mabel, Evelyn and Rumer)
The announcement of the retirement marked the end of Willis’ decades-long career, during which he received a Golden Globe Award and two Emmys (pictured in 2019).
“Since we announced Bruce’s aphasia diagnosis in Spring 2022, Bruce’s condition has improved and we now have a more specific diagnosis: frontotemporal dementia (known as FTD).
“Unfortunately, communication difficulties are just a symptom of the illness Bruce is facing. While it’s painful, it’s a relief to finally have a clear diagnosis.
“FTD is a cruel disease that many of us have never heard of and can affect anyone. In people under the age of 60, FTD is the most common form of dementia, and since it can take years to diagnose, FTD is probably much more common than we know.
“Today, there are no treatment options for the disease, a reality that we hope will change in the years to come. As Bruce’s condition progresses, we hope media attention can focus on shedding light on this disease, which requires much more awareness and research.
“Bruce has always believed in using his voice in the world to help others and raise awareness of 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 connection to those who are also dealing with this debilitating disease and how it affects so many people and their families.
“Ours is just a family with a loved one suffering from FTD and we encourage others affected by it to seek the wealth of information and support that is available through AFTD (@theaftd, theaftd.org).
“And for those of you who have been fortunate enough not to have had personal experience with FTD, we hope that you will take the time to learn more about it and support AFTD’s mission in any way you can.
The Willis/Heming family statement in full
“As a family, we wanted to take this opportunity to thank you all for the outpouring of love and compassion for Bruce over the past ten months. Your generosity has been overwhelming and we are very grateful for it. For your kindness, and because we know you love Bruce as much as we do, we wanted to give you an update.
“Since we announced Bruce’s aphasia diagnosis in Spring 2022, Bruce’s condition has improved and we now have a more specific diagnosis: frontotemporal dementia (known as FTD). Unfortunately, communication difficulties are just a symptom of the illness Bruce is facing. While it’s painful, it’s a relief to finally have a clear diagnosis.
“FTD is a cruel disease that many of us have never heard of and can affect anyone. In people under the age of 60, FTD is the most common form of dementia, and since it can take years to diagnose, FTD is probably much more common than we know. Today there are no treatment options for the disease, a reality that we hope will change in the years to come. As Bruce’s condition progresses, we hope media attention can focus on shedding light on this disease, which requires much more awareness and research.’
Bruce has always believed in using his voice in the world to help others and raise awareness of important issues both publicly and privately. We know in our hearts that if he could today, he would want to respond by bringing global awareness and a connection with those who are also dealing with this debilitating disease and how it affects so many people and their families.
“Ours is just a family with a loved one suffering from FTD and we encourage others affected by it to seek the wealth of information and support that is available through AFTD (@theaftd, theaftd.org). And for those of you lucky enough not to have had personal experience with FTD, we hope you will take the time to learn more 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 do the same. It meant the world to see that sense of caring that reflects back on him and all of us. We were so moved by the love you all shared for our dear husband, father and friend during this difficult time. Your continued compassion, understanding and respect will allow us to help Bruce live the fullest life possible.’
-Emma, Demi, Rumer, Scout, Tallulah, Mabel and Evelyn
Willis and his wife Heming Willis also have two daughters, Mabel, 10, and Evelyn, eight, together
Willis is pictured with his wife Emma Heming in a social media snap
The family announced earlier this year that the legendary actor is retiring from show business as his disorder affects his ability to speak and understand language
“Bruce has always found joy in life – and has helped everyone he knows do the same. It meant the world to see that sense of caring that reflects back on him and all of us.
“We were so moved by the love you all shared for our dear husband, father and friend at this difficult time. Your continued compassion, understanding and respect will allow us to help Bruce live the fullest life possible.’
The statement was signed by Emma, Demi and his daughters Rumer, Scout, Tallulah, Mabel and Evelyn.
Willis shares Rumer, 34, Scout, 31, and Tallulah, 29, with Moore, 60, who he was married to from 1987 to 2000. He also has two daughters, Mabel, 10, and Evelyn, 8, with his wife Emma, 44.
FTD occurs when nerve cells in the lobes behind the forehead die and the pathways of connection change.
The left temporal lobe is involved in the meaning of words and the names of objects. The right recognizes faces and familiar objects.
Moore and Heming Willis forged a close bond; The Ghost actress regularly spends quality time with Willis’ two youngest children during their family reunions
The symptoms differ only from the memory loss that accompanies Alzheimer’s disease. This may include; personality changes such as tactlessness, disinterest in others, and unsympathetic, repetitive, and compulsive movements, such as B. continued use of certain phrases, hoarding and obsession with timekeeping, cravings for junk food and forgetting about table manners, speech difficulties including slow speech, grammatical errors, and asking about the meaning of familiar words such as “bread.”
Bruce’s blended family released a joint statement in late March announcing that he was “retiring from the career that has meant so much to him.”
The statement revealed that he “has had some health issues and was recently diagnosed with aphasia, which is affecting his cognitive abilities.”
The full statement read: “To the amazing supporters of Bruce, as a family we wanted to announce that our beloved Bruce has been experiencing a number of health conditions and has recently been diagnosed with aphasia which is affecting his cognitive abilities.
“As a result, and with much deliberation, Bruce is stepping down from the career that has meant so much to him.”
The statement added: “This is a truly challenging time for our family and we are so grateful for your continued love, compassion and support. We’re moving through this as a strong family unit and wanted to include his fans because we know how much he means to you, just as you mean to him.
“Like Bruce always says, ‘Live it up,’ and together we plan to do just that.
After the family went public with the news of Bruce’s retirement, fans flocked to social media to share their love for Bruce.
The announcement of his retirement marked the end of Willis’ decades-long career, during which he has won a Golden Globe Award and two Emmys.
According to IMDB, Willis’ acting career began with small roles on television shows such as Miami Vice and The Twilight Zone in the early 1980s.
He began to garner attention for his starring role opposite Cybill Shepherd on the ABC series Moonlighting, which ran from 1985 to 1989, but his breakthrough role was truly John McClane in the hit film Die Hard, which premiered in 1988 and To Six sequels led .
“I think it was his first big film and he wanted to make it right, he wanted it to work,” co-star Reginald VelJohnson told People at a 2018 screening of the film’s 30th anniversary. “He was more involved with it , how to play the role than with anything else.”
“This was his first movie and he was the star of a huge blockbuster and it was advertised very well that he made $5 million which was unbelievable at the time,” said Bonnie Bedelia, who played his wife Holly Gennaro McClane in the film .
“And everyone was like, ‘Why would you pay an untried movie star $5 million?’ But boy was someone really smart.’
WHAT IS FRONTOTEMPORAL DEMENTIA?
Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) affects the brain lobes behind the forehead that deal with behavior, problem solving, planning, and emotions.
The left temporal lobe is involved in the meaning of words and the names of objects.
The right recognizes faces and familiar objects.
FTD occurs when nerve cells in these lobes die and the pathways of connection change.
The symptoms differ only from the memory loss that accompanies Alzheimer’s disease.
This can include:
- personality changes, e.g. B. tactless, disinterested in others, and unsympathetic
- Repetitive and compulsive movements, such as B. the continued use of certain phrases, hoarding and obsession with timekeeping
- Cravings for junk food and forgetting about table manners
- Speech difficulties, including slow speech, grammatical errors, and asking about the meaning of familiar words like “bread.”
FTD is rare, accounting for less than five percent of all dementia cases.
However, it is one of the most common forms of the disease in people under the age of 65.
Those affected are usually between 45 and 65 years old at the time of diagnosis.
The rate at which FTD progresses varies widely, with life expectancy ranging from two years to more than 10 years after diagnosis.
As it progresses and more parts of the brain become damaged, symptoms often resemble those of late-stage Alzheimer’s disease.
This can include memory loss and patients who rely on others to care for them.
About 10 to 20 percent of FTD sufferers also have a motor disorder that affects their movement.
This can cause twitching, stiffness, slow movements, and loss of balance or coordination.
In later stages, such patients may have difficulty swallowing.
About a third of FTD patients have a family history of dementia.
And the condition is often caused by an inherited faulty gene from a patient’s parent.
Treatment focuses on helping a person live a good life by relieving their symptoms.
This may include counseling or a speech and language therapist.
Source: Alzheimer’s Society
Willis later starred in films such as Pulp Fiction, 12 Monkeys, The Sixth Sense and the superhero film Unbreakable, for which he reprized his role over a decade later in the 2016 film Split and the 2019 film Glass.
Over the course of his four-decade career, his films have grossed over $5 billion worldwide, according to Variety.
He has also appeared in a number of television shows including the popular classic Friends, for which he won an Emmy, and as the main voice actor on Bruno the Kid.
Willis recently completed several projects in post-production including Vendetta, Fortress: Sniper’s Eye and White Elephant.