Bruce Willis attends the Comedy Central Roast of Bruce Willis at Hollywood Palladium on July 14, 2018 in Los Angeles, California.
Rich Fury | Getty Images
Actor Bruce Willis has frontotemporal dementia, his family said Thursday.
In a heartfelt Instagram post, ex-wife Demi Moore and Rumer Willis, the couple’s eldest daughter, shared that the actor’s aphasia diagnosis, which the family had announced in March 2022, has progressed.
“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,” they wrote in their respective Instagram posts, which were signed by the “Ladies of Willis/Moore” family.
The family also expressed their “deepest gratitude for the incredible outpouring of love, support and wonderful stories we have all received since sharing Bruce’s original diagnosis.”
Frontotemporal dementia, known as FTD, is “an umbrella term for a group of brain disorders that primarily affect the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain,” according to the Mayo Clinic. “These areas of the brain are generally associated with personality, behavior and language.”
The Mayo Clinic said “signs and symptoms vary, depending on which part of the brain is affected.”‘
“Some people with frontotemporal dementia have dramatic changes in their personalities and become socially inappropriate, impulsive or emotionally indifferent, while others lose the ability to use language properly,” according to the site.
In March, the Willis/Moore family had said Willis would be “stepping away” from his career following the aphasia diagnosis, which they said had impacted his cognitive abilities.
Representatives for Moore and Willis did not immediately respond to further request for comment on Thursday.