Bruce Willis' family have rallied around him following his diagnosis with frontotemporal dementia. Now, sources who spoke with Us Weekly have shared more about how time with the 68-year-old actor has been recently for his wife Emma Heming Willis, ex-wife Demi Moore, and five daughters. According to a heartbreaking update from one source, his loved ones don't know how much time they will have left with Willis and he has "more bad days than good" at this point.
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Willis' family announced that he had been diagnosed with aphasia, a communication disorder, in March 2022 and that he was retiring from acting. A year later, in February 2023, they shared that he had additionally been diagnosed with the progressive brain disease frontotemporal dementia (FTD). According to Cleveland Clinic, "Frontotemporal dementia refers to a group of diseases that involve the deterioration of your brain's frontal and temporal lobes … People with FTD commonly lose control of their behavior or ability to speak and understand spoken language." The average life expectancy after diagnosis is 7.5 years.
A source told Us Weekly, "Bruce has good days and bad days, but in the last two months, there are many more bad days than good." They added that the "experience has brought the whole family even closer together. No one knows how much time Bruce has left, so they're soaking up every moment they get with him."
Another source said that Willis' family members are basically living together. "They're all there all the time. Once Bruce was diagnosed, everyone came together to keep his memory of the family intact and to be there as a constant reminder [that they] love him. [Everything] revolves around him," the source said. They first source added, "Bruce has around-the-clock care, but at least one family member is always with him."
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Willis' family includes his three adult daughters—Rumer, Scout, and Tallulah—with Moore, and two young daughters—11-year-old Mabel and nine-year-old Evelyn—with Heming Willis. Rumer's baby Louetta has also been spending time with her grandfather. On Father's Day, she posted photos of Louetta with Willis on Instagram and wrote, "Seeing my father hold my daughter today was something I will treasure for the rest of my life. His sweetness and love for her was so pure and beautiful."
A source told Us Weekly that though the Sixth Sense star is "declining," he is "still mostly there and present when he's mentally and physically able." A third source told the magazine that this December "the focus is on Bruce being around the people he loves and reminding him of happy holidays from the past." Reportedly, his older daughters show him old photos and memorabilia, which "does work on occasion" to lighten his mood.
Tallulah shared something similar about looking at Willis' past when she appeared on The Drew Barrymore Show in November. "Part of what's been a really beautiful way for me to heal through this is becoming like an archeologist to my dad's stuff, his world, ad his little trinkets and doo-dads," the 29-year-old said. She added that she and her father have been connecting through music, too. "It's a huge part of also how I spend time with him now is playing music and just kind of sitting in this energy of love."
On the show, Tallulah also talked about Willis's condition being stable at the time. "He is the same, which I think, in this regard, I've learned is the best thing that you can ask for," she said. "What I see is, I see love when I'm with him. And it's my dad and he loves me, which is really special."
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Lia Beck Lia Beck is a writer living in Richmond, Virginia. In addition to Best Life, she has written for Refinery29, Bustle, Hello Giggles, InStyle, and more.Read moreFiled UnderBrain Health • Celebrities • Entertainment • NewsRead This NextBruce Willis’ Daughter Gives Health Update
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