Bruce Willis suffers from frontotemporal dementia

The Hollywood star, who was already away from acting due to his aphasia, has seen his health worsen

At the end of March of last year, Bruce Willis announced that he was leaving acting due to aphasia, a language disorder characterized by the inability to communicate. This Thursday his family reported that, after a year of observation and after performing different tests, they have a more specific diagnosis of the American actor’s disease: he suffers from frontotemporal dementia (FTD, for its acronym in English).

“It is a cruel disease and there are no treatments, a reality that we hope can change in the coming years,” explained the family in a statement shared on social networks by Emma Heming Willis, the current partner of the Hollywood star; his first wife, the actress Demi Moore, and for the five daughters of the protagonist of ‘Die Hard’ -Mabel and Evelyn, the result of her relationship with Heming; and Rumer, Tallulah and Scout, daughters from her first marriage. The text is signed by all of them.

“Unfortunately, the difficulties in communication are just a symptom of the illness Bruce is dealing with. While this is painful, it is a relief to finally have a clear diagnosis,” adds the text from the Willis family, who showed their “deepest gratitude for the incredible amount of love, support, and wonderful stories we have all received since we shared the Bruce’s original diagnosis.

Raise awareness of the disease

The family decided to make this announcement through the American Frontotemporal Dementia Association to raise awareness about the effects of this disease, which, in people under 60, is the most common type of dementia. “We know in our hearts that if he could today, Bruce would want to respond by calling global attention to this debilitating disease,” they say.

“Since it can take years to get a diagnosis, it is likely that FTD is much more prevalent than we know,” they add, in addition to inviting everyone they can to help associations that care for these patients.