Bruce Willis Diagnosed With Dementia

Nearly one year after Bruce Willis was diagnosed with aphasia, his family has shared word that his condition has worsened. In a joint statement by Willis' family shared by The Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration, it was announced Tuesday that the star is now suffering from dementia.

"As a family, we wanted to take this opportunity to thank you all for the outpouring of love and compassion for Bruce over the past 10 months," reads the statement. "Your generosity of spirit has been overwhelming, and we are tremendously grateful for it. For your kindness, and because we know you love Bruce as much as we do, we wanted to give you an update."

The statement also adds that Willis "always believed in using his voice in the world to help others, and to raise awareness about important issues" and "if he could today, he would want to respond by bringing global attention and a connectedness with those who are also dealing with this debilitating disease and how it impacts so many individuals and their families."

Willis' family announced the initial diagnosis and the actor's subsequent retirement in March 2022. Aphasia is a neurological disease that limits speaking and understanding speech. As the name "frontotemporal dementia" suggests, the disease is a progressive degeneration of frontal and temporal lobes with gradual and escalating onsets.

Willis made his rise to fame in the 1980s on the television comedy Moonlighting and was rebranded as an action star with the mega-blockbuster Die Hard. The star has over 140 movie credits to his name and two Emmy awards.

In September 2022, the actor reportedly sold the rights to allow for a sanctioned deepfake "digital twin" to live on and perform in future projects.