Bruce Willis’ family has revealed that the actor is “stepping away” from his career amid health issues.
On Wednesday, his daughter Rumer Willis shared a note on Instagram detailing her 67-year-old father’s diagnosis with aphasia, a language disorder that affects a person’s ability to communicate.
(Willis’ wife Emma Heming Willis and ex Demi Moore also shared the note.)
“To Bruce’s amazing supporters, as a family we wanted to share that our beloved Bruce has been experiencing some health issues and has recently been diagnosed with aphasia, which is impacting his cognitive abilities. As a result of this and with much consideration Bruce is stepping away from the career that has meant so much to him,” the note reads alongside a silly photo of Willis that captures his iconic personality.
The statement comes from Rumer and her sisters Scout, Tallulah, Mabel and Evelyn, Heming Willis, and Moore.
“This is a really challenging time for our family and we are so appreciative of your continued love, compassion and support,” the family continued. “We are moving through this as a strong family unit, and wanted to bring his fans in because we know how much he means to you, as you do to him. As Bruce always says, ‘Live it up’ and together we plan to do just that. Love, Emma, Demi, Rumer, Scout, Tallulah, Mabel, & Evelyn.”
Willis is best known for playing John McClane in the Die Hard movies. He’s also starred in blockbuster favorites like Pulp Fiction, The Fifth Element, Armageddon, The Sixth Sense and Moonrise Kingdom.
Most recently, he was seen in M. Night Shyamalan’s Glass and Edward Norton’s Motherless Brooklyn.
“In the past few months, I’ve read a lot about Old Hollywood — Gary Cooper, Cary Grant, Spencer Tracy, Audrey Hepburn, William Holden. Every story is that everyone was struggling. Everyone was flailing wildly. And it’s kind of reassuring, because if you only see the performance, it’s easy to associate that person with their work,” Willis told GQ in 2013.
He added later in the interview, “I’m going to try to keep the machine moving forward as much as possible and not have to think about the eventuality of becoming more frail and less able to do the work.”
Just last week, Willis’ ex-wife Moore shared a photo for his birthday, writing that she was “thankful” for their blended family. The pair have beautifully navigated divorce over the years and have kept their daughters — Rumer, Tallulah and Scout — first.
“I’m incredibly grateful that both of my parents have made such an effort my entire life that I never felt like I had to choose between them,” Rumer told People last year. “I have a lot of friends who grew up with parents who got divorced at a young age and I watched their parents, like, pit them against each other or have to choose between holidays. And I didn’t have to do that, and I feel so grateful that my parents made it such a priority that we could be a family, even though it looked different.”
Willis married Heming in 2009 and they have two young daughters together — Mabel Ray, 9, and Evelyn Penn, 7.
Willis is and will remain an action hero in the eyes of so many fans. He brought a certain energy to every performance that will be missed on the screen. We’re wishing him and his family well in this next chapter.
