Bruce Willis Health Update: Actor's Family to Donate His Brain to Science After His Death - Is He Getting Worse?

Bruce Willis, known for his adrenaline-pumping action movies, had to leave the spotlight and retire from Hollywood due to a neurodegenerative disorder, and his family has learned to accept his condition.

Fans of the actor were saddened by the news of his retirement in 2022, when he was diagnosed with aphasia. One year later, doctors revealed that his condition had progressed into a neurodegenerative disease called frontotemporal dementia (FTD), which affects major regions of the brain like the frontal and temporal lobes.

Willis' family, led by his wife Emma, believed that this was not the end for the beloved action star. She revealed in her recently published book, The Unexpected Journey: Finding Strength, Hope, and Yourself on the Caregiving Path, that they decided to donate his brain to science after his passing to support research on his condition.

FTD is a rare disease with little information and is still incurable.

Why Donate Bruce's Brain?

In her book, Emma shared how Bruce's disease affected their family and the pain of seeing the usually tough and strong man slowly fade away because of the disease.

Their decision to let science study his brain showcased a powerful symbolism, where their pain will turn into a legacy.

According to Emma, their sacrifice is not just to seek recognition, but to find hope for others living with FTD so they will find a cure to reverse or delay the effects of the degenerative disease.

FTD usually affects people aged 45 to 65. It accounts for 10% to 20% of all dementia.

Early signs of FTD can be mistaken for other common conditions, like stress or simple memory lapses.

Willis' Holiday Plans

In an interview with People, Emma said the entire family, together with their daughters Mabel Ray, 13 and Evelyn Penn, 11, and Bruce's daughters with his ex-wife Demi Moore, Rumer Glenn, 37, Scout LaRue, 34, and Tallulah Belle, 31, is planning a fun holiday with Bruce.

'It's joyous. It's just different,' the model-actress-author said. 'Bruce loved Christmas and we love celebrating it with him. It just looks different, so we've kind of adapted to that.'

Emma also acknowledged that celebrating holidays for families living with dementia can be 'so hard,' but it is necessary to make it special.

'You have to learn and adapt and make new memories, bring in the same traditions that you had before,' she added. 'Life goes on. It just goes on. Dementia is hard, but there is still joy in it. I think it's important that we don't paint such a negative picture around dementia. We are still laughing. There is still joy. It just looks different.'

Bruce's Latest Condition

When asked about the 'Die Hard' actor's current state, his daughter Rumer shared a painful yet honest insight about his health.

In her Instagram Stories, the actress replied to a question about how her father was.

'People always ask me this question and I think it's kind of a hard one to answer, because the truth is that anybody with FDT is not doing great,' Rumer stated in a video, 'but he's doing OK in terms of somebody who is dealing with frontotemporal dementia.'

She added, 'The only way I feel like I could answer that in a way that's like he's doing great... how do I say this? It's like those parameters don't really work anymore in my mind, so this is an interesting question.'

She also said that she is still thankful to still have her father with her, even if he sometimes could not remember who she is.