Bruce Willis Lives 'Like a Baby' 3 Years After Sudden and Horrific Dementia Diagnosis: Report
Unlike a Bruce Willis movie, no snarky-talking hero will stave off the shadows engulfing an actor living in the dim-edged twilight.
Three years ago, as fans of the tough guy in “Die Hard” and the smart-mouthed detective in “Moonlighting” mourned, family members told the world that Willis would be drifting away into a world of his own, as frontotemporal dementia slowly took everything from a man millions adored.
“For people under 60, FTD is the most common form of dementia, and because getting the diagnosis can take years, FTD is likely much more prevalent than we know. Today there are no treatments for the disease, a reality that we hope can change in the years ahead,” the statement said.
Three years later, Willis, now 71, “has declined a lot mentally” and is “living in his own world,” according to a Daily Mail report based on a source it did not name, who said there is one faint bright spot — the former Hollywood icon does not know his mental decline is taking place.
“He knows his life is different, but he doesn’t think it is that different. He doesn’t talk about it or even complain much. He senses something is off, but he doesn’t have a full grasp of it,” the source said.
The source called Willis “Mr. Mellow,” saying he was more “at ease” than “when he had a lot of energy and talked a ton.”
“Sometimes he looks like a baby who is staring at an object with curiosity, just taking it in. If you look at him, he appears like a healthy middle-aged man,” the source said.
FTD works slowly, as victims change slowly until they come to a point where swallowing and walking are difficult, and the road leads to death, often from pneumonia.
Emma Heming Willis, the actor’s wife, has said knowing there is no hope of changing the end of her husband’s story “was one of the most traumatic experiences, feeling completely alone.”
Former wife Demi Moore said in 2024 that coping with her ex-husband’s decline was a matter of perspective.
“When you’re holding on to what was, I think it’s a losing game,” she said, noting that what mattered was “being able to share whatever we have, for however long we have it.”
The source estimated that the family is doing all it can for Willis, providing care that costs over $30,000 per month.
But it is small things that loom large in his daily routine.
“Bruce doesn’t just sit in front of a TV all day,” the source said. “His big thrill is getting an ice cream cone or going for a ride in a car. He loves listening to Neil Diamond. Music is great for him.”
His wife said reality can be hard to bear.
“Do I think he knows, ‘Oh, this is Emma, and we’ve been married for this many years? I don’t know what that process is for him,” she said in a recent interview.
But “when he puts his arms around me, it just feels like Bruce. It’s not different in that way,” she said.
“And that’s really, really beautiful and really, really heartbreaking,” she said.
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