Frail Bruce Willis was seen in a rare snapshot while celebrating Thanksgiving with his family on Thursday amid his battle with frontotemporal dementia (FTD).
The retired actor, 69, was seen smiling at his daughter Scout, 33, while sitting on a couch while his daughter Tallulah, 30, watched from the floor. He shares the girls and his oldest daughter, Rumer, 36, with his ex-wife Demi Moore, 63.
Die Hard star Willis held onto a plaque reading ‘Best Dad Ever’ as Scout hugged him, before the pair touched noses.
Tallulah captioned the photo: “Grateful.”
The Hollywood icon’s family revealed his (FTD) diagnosis in February 2023, shortly after he retired from acting due to his struggle with a brain disorder known as aphasia, which affects speech and language understanding.
Since then, Willis has received an outpouring of love and support from loved ones and family amid his health struggles.
Frail Bruce Willis was seen in a rare snapshot while celebrating Thanksgiving with his family on Thursday amid his battle with temporal frontal dementia (FTD).
Last month in October, his wife Emma Heming opened up about her battle with dementia, expressing that she does not “protect” her daughters from the diagnosis.
Bruce married Heming in 2009 and the couple share two daughters: Mabel, 12, and Evelyn, 10.
He is also father to Rumer, 36, Scout, 33, and Tallulah, 30, whom he welcomed with his ex-wife Demi Moore.
During an interview with City and Country Magazineexplained Heming, “This disease is misdiagnosed, overlooked, and misunderstood.”
“So finally reaching a diagnosis was key to being able to learn what frontotemporal dementia is and being able to educate our children.”
Emma added: “I’ve never tried to sugarcoat anything for them.” They have grown up with Bruce declining over the years. I’m not trying to protect you from it.
‘What I learned from our therapist was that if children ask questions, they are ready to know the answer. If we could see that Bruce was struggling, I would discuss it with the children so they could understand, but this illness is chronic, progressive and terminal.’
Heming told the outlet that his children don’t tend to “talk to them about the terminal side of this, nor have they been asked.”
The retired actor, 69, was seen smiling at his daughter Scout, 33, while sitting on a couch while his daughter Tallulah, 30, watched from the floor.
The Die Hard star’s family revealed his diagnosis of FTD in February 2023, shortly after he retired from acting due to his struggle with a brain disorder known as aphasia, which affects speech and language understanding. .
Last month in October, his wife Emma Heming opened up about her battle with dementia, expressing that she does not “protect” her two daughters from the diagnosis.
The actor is father to Mabel Ray, 12, (left) and Evelyn, 10, with his wife Emma.
However, he expressed that Mabel and Evelyn ‘know that dad is not going to get better.’
Emma said she wasn’t going to let ‘FTD take down our entire family. Bruce wouldn’t want that,” adding that he hopes to help the “next family.”
While speaking to the publication, he also revealed that the return of Bruce’s childhood stuttering initially masked his cognitive decline before he was diagnosed with dementia.
“As his language started to change, (it seemed like) it was just part of a stutter, it was just Bruce.”
He later admitted: “Never in a million years would I think it would be a form of dementia for someone so young.”
Amid her health battle, her loved ones have continually provided updates to her fans, including Demi Moore.
Last month, The Substance actress said her condition was “stable” while attending the 2024 Hamptons International Film Festival in New York.
‘You know, I’ve said this before. The disease is what the disease is. And I think we have to deeply accept what that is. But where it is, it is stable,” he said during a panel, according to People.
‘What I always encourage is to simply meet them where they are. When you hold on to what was, I think it’s a lost game.’
Moore added: “But when you show up to meet them where they are, there’s a great beauty and sweetness.”
And in the midst of her battle with aphasia and dementia, her daughter Tallulah expressed in Today in September that the retired actor is surrounded by ‘so much love.’
“He’s stable, which in this situation is good.” And it is difficult; There are painful days, but there is a lot of love.’
She continued, “And it really showed me that I shouldn’t take any moment for granted and I truly believe that we would be best friends.” I really think he’s very proud of me.’
In an August 22 post, Rumer shared an image of herself holding her father’s hand while answering a question about how the actor has been doing amid his health issues.
The actor’s family took to Instagram in March 2022 to reveal that he was leaving acting following his aphasia diagnosis.
In February, Bruce’s family released a statement on Instagram to reveal his FTD diagnosis.
At the time, they explained that it is the “most common form of dementia,” but added that there are currently “no treatments for the disease.”
“As Bruce’s condition progresses, we hope that media attention can be focused on shedding light on this disease which needs much more awareness and research.”
“Bruce always believed in using his voice in the world to help others and raise awareness about important issues both publicly and privately,” they added.
“We know in our hearts that, if you could today, you would want to respond by bringing global attention and connection to those who are also dealing with this debilitating disease and how it affects so many people and their families.”