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Bruce Willis stepping away from acting after aphasia diagnosis
Actor Bruce Willis is "stepping away" from acting after being diagnosed with aphasia, which is a condition that is caused by damage to portions of the brain and can affect the ability to speak or communicate. The actor, best known for films including the "Die Hard" series, "Armageddon," the "Red" films and "The Sixth Sense."
Rumer Willis, the daughter of A-list actor Bruce Willis, opened up about her father on social media on Thursday.
Her comments come as Bruce Willis battles aphasia, more specifically frontotemporal dementia.
Rumer Willis on father Bruce Willis’ health
What they're saying:
She explained that traditional ways of measuring his progress no longer make sense to her.
"The truth is anyone with FTD is not doing great, but he’s doing okay in terms of somebody who’s dealing with frontotemporal dementia."
Actors Bruce Willis and Rumer Willis arrive at the Los Angeles premiere of "Surrogates" at the El Capitan Theatre on September 24, 2009 in Hollywood, California. (Credit: Jeffrey Mayer/WireImage)
But despite these challenges, she said she is grateful for the moments they still share and the love they continue to feel for each other.
"I’m so happy and grateful that I still get to go and hug him," Rumer, 37, continued. " I’m so grateful that when I go over there and I give him a hug, whether he recognizes me or not, that he can feel the love I’ve given him, and I can feel it back from him, that I still see a spark of him, and he can feel the love that I’m giving and so that feels really nice."
Bruce Willis' wife gives health update
Dig deeper:
In August, Bruce’s' wife also gave the public an update on his health while speaking with ABC News' Diane Sawyer.
"Bruce is still very mobile. Bruce is in really great health overall, you know," she said. "It's just his brain that is failing him."
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"The language is going, and, you know, we've learned to adapt," she added. "And we have a way of communicating with him, which is just a ... different way.
What happened to Bruce Willis?
The backstory:
In 2022, Bruce stepped away from acting after being diagnosed with aphasia, a condition that causes loss of the ability to understand or express speech.
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The news about the star, one of Hollywood’s most beloved actors, immediately spread online as fans reacted. His four-decade career has amassed more than $5 billion in the box office worldwide.
Bruce had been working steadily and frequently. Renowned for films like "Die Hard," "Pulp Fiction" and "The Sixth Sense," Brurce has in recent years churned out straight-to-video thrillers.
What is frontotemporal dementia?
Big picture view:
The Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration describes FTD as a group of brain disorders caused by degeneration of the frontal and/or temporal lobes of the brain that affects behavior, language and movement.
Aphasia can be a symptom of it.
The association describes frontotemporal degeneration as "an inevitable decline in functioning," with an average life expectancy of seven to 13 years after the onset of symptoms.
The Source: The Associated Press, Chris Williams, previous FOX Local reporting contributed to this report. The information in this story comes from a story on Rumer Willis’ instagram account on Thursday Nov. 20, 2025. This story was reported from Los Angeles.