Bruce Willis, 67, has been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia, a disease for which there is no treatment. Since his initial diagnosis of aphasia in March 2022, the actor has lived a reclusive life, making infrequent appearances on his family’s social media.
His wife Emma Hemming Willis, 44, and exwife Demi Moore, 60, said in a statement that they have had to deal with difficulties communicating with the artist over the past few months, which is just one of the symptoms of the problem.
In reports on Instagram, Emma said her husband has decided to make family a priority in dealing with the disease. Together, the couple had two daughters, Mabel Ray, 10, and Evelyn Penn, 8. The artist is also the father of Rumer, 34, Tallulah, 31, and Scout, 28, from his relationship with Demi Moore.
The Die Hard star prefers to stay at his mansion in Brentwood, a Los Angeles area. Prior to his diagnosis, he owned approximately R$303 million in other properties that were sold so he could be close to family and friends in California.
Emma has a habit of sharing some of the actor’s shots with her daughters, in games and chilled moments. In them, Bruce appears, taking care of details of the house, painting fences and tending to the plants in the garden.
In December, the model shared some videos of the family over the past year, saying that “they’re always ready to have fun.” Records range from trips to birthdays and Halloween traditions.
She also shared some artist moments with her youngest daughters last summer as they enjoyed the outdoors.
At the time, Emma said the period was one of “selfdiscovery” and they explored new hobbies, stepped out of their comfort zone and stayed active. “My grief can be debilitating, but I’m learning to live with it,” he mused.
Shortly after announcing the initial diagnosis, the model shared details about the care needed for Bruce and the changes in the couple’s routine and hers putting aside selfcare to focus on family.
“I struggle to find time for myself every day. I put my family’s needs ahead of my own, which I don’t think makes me a hero. This amount of caring for everyone else in my household has taken a long time to take its toll on my mental health and my overall health, and it hasn’t helped anyone in my family,” he said in an interview with The Bump.
Thinking about the future, Bruce would have reviewed the division of his $250 million (about R$1.3 billion) inheritance, according to the Radar website. Most of the amount would be left to the youngest daughters and wife. The older ones would receive US$1 million (about R$5.3 million).
“Bruce wanted to make sure his young family was taken care of,” a source said. “He believes Rumer, Scout and Tallulah have spent their lives making the most of what he has to offer financially.”