Bruce Willis dementia: Hollywood action star’s daughter, Rumer, shares heartbreaking news on his health

Hollywood action legend Bruce Willis’s daughter Rumer has shared a heartbreaking update about her dad as American’s celebrated Father’s Day.

The Die Hard star has been battling a rare form of dementia for a number of years, with the latest messaging from his distraught family indicating he has finally lost the ability to speak.

In a heartfelt Father’s Day post via her Instagram account, Rumer Willis, spoke of her love for her father and some regrets she has now his health is in decline.

“Today is hard, I feel a deep ache in my chest to talk to you and tell you everything I’m doing and what’s going on in my life,” she posted on Sunday.

“To hug you and ask you about life and your stories and struggles and successes. I wish I asked you more questions while you could still tell me about it all.

“But I know you wouldn’t want me to be sad today so I’ll try to just be grateful reminding myself how lucky I am that you’re my dad and that you’re still with me,” she said.

“I can still hold you and hug you and kiss your cheek and rub your head I can tell you stories.”

The 70-year-old Pulp Fiction actor’s family, including ex-wife Demi Moore, have documented his journey through various social media post at family gatherings as he tries to combat frontotemporal dementia (FTD).

FTD is a specific type of dementia that primarily affects the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain and is different to Alzheimer’s, as it impacts behavior, personality, language, and movement, rather than just memory.

“I will be grateful for every moment I have with you. I love you so much dad happy Father’s Day,” Ms Willis said about her father.

“Sending love to all those who are in the boat with me or have lost their fathers, to the single mums who are the dads too.”

Ms Moore, 62, along with her three daughter’s to Mr Willis, Rumer 36, Scout, 33. and Tallulah, 31, have all been in constant contact with the much-loved actor, along with his wife of 16 years Emma Heming, 46, and their children Mabel, 12, and Evelyn, 10.

In January this year, Ms Emma Heming Willis, claimed that after being born with a pronounced stutter her husband’s speech affliciation was dismissed by health professionals as an early symptom of his dementia.

Speaking to Town and Country magazine, she said: “He had a severe stutter as a child. He went to college, and there was a theatre teacher who said, ‘I’ve got something that’s going to help you.’

“Bruce has always had a stutter, but he has been good at covering it up.

“So, when he began to experience difficulties with language, it seemed like it was just a part of his stutter.

“Never in a million years would I think it would be a form of dementia for someone so young.”

In 2023 the family spoke of his complex issues with FTD including a loss of speech.

“FTD is a cruel disease that many of us have never heard of and can strike anyone. For people under 60, FTD is the most common form of dementia, and because getting the diagnosis can take years,” the statement said.

“Today there are no treatments for the disease, a reality that we hope can change in the years ahead.

“As Bruce’s condition advances, we hope that any media attention can be focused on shining a light on this disease that needs far more awareness and research.

“Bruce always believed in using his voice in the world to help others, and to raise awareness about important issues both publicly and privately.

“We know in our hearts that – 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.”