Actor Bruce Willis diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia
The disease of American actor Bruce Willis worsened, as the star who was forced to retire in the spring of 2022 suffers from an intractable form of dementia, according to a new medical diagnosis.
Willis, 67, who for years embodied the role of the daring hero in action films, most notably the “Die Hard” series, originally had aphasia (aphasia), a language disorder caused by brain damage. However, his family announced in a statement that his illness had “evolved” since last year, and that “a more accurate diagnosis indicated that he suffers from frontotemporal dementia.”
“Unfortunately, the communication difficulties are only a symptom of Bruce’s illness,” the family added, expressing their relief that she had “finally received a clear diagnosis.”
Frontotemporal degeneration is a neurodegenerative disease related to Alzheimer’s disease. People with frontotemporal degeneration may experience memory problems, behavioral changes, and even difficulty speaking or moving.
The statement, signed by Willis’ current wife, Emma Heming Willis, and his ex-wife, actress Demi Moore, and his daughters Rumer, Scout, Tallulah, Mabel and Evelyn, stated that “there is no treatment available today for this disease.” The family hoped that “this reality will change in the coming years.”
“With the development of Bruce’s condition, we hope that the media will be keen to draw attention to this disease, which needs much more awareness and research,” she added.
Frontotemporal dementia appears most often in patients between the ages of 40 and 65, according to a number of American specialists, and it represents a fifth of dementia cases.
– Famous action movie actors –
Willis’s star began to fade before his illness and retirement, but his image remained in mind as one of the most popular action movie actors in Hollywood.
Bruce Willis was known beginning in the eighties of the twentieth century through the TV series “Moonlighting” alongside Cybill Shepherd, but he entered the world of fame in 1988 thanks to his embodiment of the indomitable hero John McClane in the action movie “Die Hard”, which made him a global star.
The shaven head and sarcastic smile became the distinguishing mark of the actor, who assumed the same role in two other parts in the nineties, which cemented his fame, and thanks to this series of films, he became one of the most prominent stars in this cinematic genre.
Willis became very sought after in Hollywood, and was assigned roles in a number of major productions, whether in classic action films such as “The Last Boy Scout” and “The Jackal” or in science fiction films such as the critically acclaimed “12 Monkeys”. and “The Fifth Element” by Luc Besson.
Willis worked under the direction of the most prominent directors, such as Brian De Palma, Robert Zemeckis and Quentin Tarantino, who was assigned to him in 1994 the role of a boxer whose star began to fade, while he was at the height of his glory.
As for director Shyamalan, Willis had darker and more dramatic roles, as in “The Sixth Sense” and “Unbreakable”.
Willis continued acting, but he no longer found the same success and his fame gradually declined, despite his involvement in other genres such as comedy (“The Hole Nine Yards” in 2000).
He participated in two new parts of the “Die Hard” series (2007 and 2013), which did not convince the critics or the audience.
