February 16, 2023 – Bruce Willis suffers from frontotemporal dementia (FTD), the actor’s family announced in an announcement on Thursday.
“Although this is painful, it is a relief to finally have a clear diagnosis,” they wrote within the opinion on the web site of the Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration. It was signed by his wife, his ex-wife Demi Moore and his daughters.
Last 12 months, they shared that the 67-year-old star had been diagnosed with aphasia, saying he had a condition that affected his cognitive abilities and that he can be taking a break from acting.
Willis rose to stardom within the Eighties through the tv series “Moonlighting” and in movies akin to “Die Hard.”
The statement said FTD is essentially the most common type of dementia in people under 60, but it could possibly take years to diagnose – so it's “probably much more widespread than we know.”
The Mayo Clinic According to Frontotemporal Dementia, it's an “umbrella term for a group of brain disorders that primarily affect the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain. These areas of the brain are generally associated with personality, behavior, and language.”
“Today there are no treatments for the disease, a reality that we hope will change in the coming years,” the statement said. “As Bruce's condition worsens, we hope that media attention can be directed to shining a light on this disease that needs much more attention and research.”