Feb. 16, 2023 -- Bruce Willis has frontotemporal dementia, or FTD, the actor’s family announced in a statement Thursday.
“While this is painful, it is a relief to finally have a clear diagnosis,” they wrote in the statement on the website of the Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration. It was signed by his wife; his ex-wife, Demi Moore; and his daughters.
Last year, they shared that the star, 67, had been diagnosed with aphasia. They said he had a medical condition that affected his cognitive abilities, and he would be taking a break from acting.
Willis rose to stardom in the 1980s on the TV series “Moonlighting” and in movies such as “Die Hard.”
The statement says FTD is the most common form of dementia for people under 60, but a diagnosis can take years – so it is “likely much more prevalent than we know.”
The Mayo Clinic says frontotemporal dementia is 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 can change in the years ahead,” the statement said. “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.