It looks like actor Bruce Willis' health is deteriorating further, as he has seemingly lost his ability to communicate due to dementia. Earlier this year, Willis' family announced that he had been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia, after announcing in 2022 that Willis was stepping away from acting after being diagnosed with aphasia. Now it seems that he has almost fully lost his ability to communicate.
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His longtime friend gave an update on Bruce's health
Glenn Gordon Caron, who created the TV show Moonlighting, which was Bruce's first major role back in the 1980s, shared how the actor is doing with the New York Post recently.
"The thing that makes [his disease] so mindblowing is [that] if you’ve ever spent time with Bruce Willis, there is no one who had any more joie de vivre than he," he explained. "He loved life and… just adored waking up every morning and trying to live life to its fullest."
Caron also revealed a major change in Bruce's condition
Caron shared that he tries to visit Bruce and his wife, Emma Heming Willis, as often as he can, sometimes even once a month.
"My sense is the first one to three minutes he knows who I am," Caron shared. "He’s not totally verbal; he used to be a voracious reader — he didn’t want anyone to know that — and he’s not reading now. All those language skills are no longer available to him, and yet he’s still Bruce."
Caron says Bruce would likely be excited that 'Moonlighting' is available on streaming
"I know he’s really happy that the show is going to be available for people, even though he can’t tell me that," Caron explained.
"The process [to get ‘Moonlighting’ onto Hulu] has taken quite a while, and Bruce’s disease is a progressive disease, so I was able to communicate with him, before the disease rendered him as incommunicative as he is now, about hoping to get the show back in front of people."
Emma Heming Willis has opened up about the challenges of having a loved one with dementia
"What I’m learning is that dementia is hard," she said while appearing on the Today show last month. "It’s hard on the person diagnosed. It’s also hard on the family. And that is no different for Bruce, or myself, or our girls. When they say that this is a family disease, it really is."
Frontotemporal dementia affects both the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain, causing a variety of brain disorders as those lobes atrophy. The disease can cause speech disorders like aphasia, emotional problems, or personality changes. There is still much to learn about it, which can lead to misdiagnoses.
Bruce's family explained their new reality earlier this year
Bruce's family announced in 2022 that he had been diagnosed with aphasia, which affects a person's ability to communicate. That is merely a symptom of frontotemporal dementia, which is why the family shared an update about his diagnosis in February of this year.
"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. In the spirit of that, we wanted to give you an update about our beloved husband, father and friend since we now have a deeper understanding of what he is experiencing," the social media statement read.
"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). Unfortunately, challenges with communication are just one symptom of the disease Bruce faces. While this is painful, it is a relief to finally have a clear diagnosis."
