Actor Bruce Willis has been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia, his daughter Rumer Willis announced in an Instagram post Thursday.
The diagnosis of frontotemporal dementia, a brain disorder caused by degeneration of the brain’s frontal lobe, comes nearly a year after Willis’ family confirmed the movie icon, now 67, was stepping away from acting due to an aphasia diagnosis.
“Our family wanted to start by expressing our deepest gratitude for the incredible outpouring of love, support and wonderful stories we have all received since sharing Bruce’s original diagnosis,” Rumer Willis wrote in the caption of the Instagram post that showed Bruce smiling on the beach.
“Since we announced Bruce’s diagnosis of aphasia in spring 2022, Bruce’s condition has progressed and we now have a more specific diagnosis: frontotemporal dementia (known as FTD).”
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The symptoms of FTD “Bruce faces” include “challenges with communication.”
“While this is painful, it is a relief to finally have a clear diagnosis,” Rumer Willis added.
FTD is a “cruel disease that many of us have never heard of and can strike anyone,” the Willis family wrote in a separate statement. It is the most common form of dementia for people under 60 and “getting the diagnosis can take years.”
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“Today there are no treatments for the disease, a reality that we hope can change in the years ahead,” the statement said. “As Bruce’s condition advances, we hope that any media attention can be focused on shining a light on this disease that needs far more awareness and research.”
Before the 2022 aphasia diagnosis announcement, Willis’ ex-wife Demi Moore, who remains close to Willis and his wife Emma Heming Willis, dedicated an Instagram post to him.
“Happy birthday, Bruce! Thankful for our blended family,” Moore wrote.
The actress and Willis divorced 20 years ago and share three children together: Rumer, 34, Scout, 31, and Tallulah, 29. Bruce and Emma Willis share two children together: Mabel, 10, and Evelyn, 8.
Story Credit: usatoday.com