The iconic Die Hard actor, Bruce Willis , has been reportedly struggling with his cognition and language skills as doctors warn about the toll it would take on him and his career. In a statement, his family revealed he has Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD), a progressive condition to his aphasia diagnosis a year ago, and how it affects him!
His Family Revealed His Diagnosis
On February 16th, the Willis family released a statement to the legendary actor’s fans about his health since his 2021 aphasia diagnosis. The statement read, “Since we announced Bruce’s diagnosis of aphasia in spring 2022, Bruce’s condition has progressed and we now have a more specific diagnosis: frontotemporal dementia (known as FTD).”
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Further stating, “Unfortunately, challenges with communication are just one symptom of the disease Bruce faces. While this is painful, it is a relief to finally have a clear diagnosis.”
A Look At His Award-winning Career
With over 40 years of career success, Bruce Willis has had a prestigious acting career to crown his final days in Hollywood. The star actor has had his face and name engraved with some characters he played in movies.
Best known for his role in Die Hard as Detective John McClane and Armageddon as Harry Stamper, Bruce is also famous for his role in Look Who’s Talking , The Sixth Sense , and The Expendables . In addition, he won the Emmy Awards, People’s Choice Awards, and a Golden Globe for his performance in Moonlighting .
Personality Loss Expected
Based on facts about the ailment, FTD affects the temporal and frontal lobes of the human brain, which are responsible for an individual’s personality and language skills. Dr. Susan Dickinson revealed that the disease could be confusing for many patients as it affects people between the ages of 40 to 60.
Dr. Keith Vossel, a neurologist at the University of California stated, “I would divide FTD into roughly three stages.” Continuing his words, he said, “In the more severe stages of FTD, patients often develop apathy or some other behavioral disturbances. This includes personality changes.”
What’s Known About FTD
FTD is a rarer type of dementia, accounting for one in 20 cases, having a devastating impact on the person living with it — because its symptoms are more evident in the early days than others. Being an uncommon condition, not so much is known of it, but the awareness seems to be rising with Bruce Willis having to go through it.
Testing Continues
Although the precise test Bruce did isn’t known, doctors suggest blood biomarker testing and PET imaging scanning are necessary for diagnosing FTD. Usually, blood biomarkers tested are tau proteins and progranulin involved in cell growth and inflammation. A buildup of this protein in the frontal and temporal lobes indicates FTD.
End Of The Road Or Light At The End Of The Tunnel?
The 67-year-old star actor, Bruce Willis, might see his acting career coming to an end.
According to some of his colleagues, there have been slight changes in his behavior as concerns began to rise about his knowledge of where he is. During productions of some of his final movies, it has been revealed that the Die Hard actor has issues remembering some of his lines, needing an earpiece for assistance on set.
Living With FTD; What’s It Like?
Experts in neurology have said that most patients with FTD tend to find it really confusing because they are unaware of their medical situation. The case of dementia is not usually the first suspect; there are mostly series of misdiagnoses.
In the meantime, the toll of FTD would have affected the patient’s relationships and judgment. In addition, patients without a confirmed diagnosis tend to lose their jobs due to mistakes they make, even losing access to healthcare.
A Progressive Disease
In the case of FTD, the disease usually deteriorates the patient gradually over time — the speed differs between people with it. Although in the early stages, the patient will only suffer slight amnesia or recalling difficulties, like in the case of Bruce Willis. Eventually, the patient will need 24/7 care.
Alzheimer and FTD
While both diseases affect the brain, Alzheimer’s affects most parts of the brain. Meanwhile, FTD primarily affects the temporal and frontal lobes of the brain — disrupting those areas in control of behavior and personality patterns.
In Comparison With Other Dementia
Some doctors believe FTD to be a more specific form of dementia and will have slightly more damage than regular Alzheimer, especially once it progresses to the worse stages. However, due to it being a rare condition, treatment for it isn’t exactly effective, only management.
The Effect On His Career
It’s no longer news that the Armageddon star, Bruce Willis, has had a hard time behind the scenes in his career. In a Los Angeles Times report, some of his colleagues have shared their experiences working with the actor, saying that he has been struggling with it for years. He was spotted wearing a device in his ear in one of his latest films, America Seige , to help him remember his lines when forgotten.
The Treatment Pattern For The Iconic Actor
Dr. Nicole Purcell suggests the Moonlighting actor’s treatment will feature symptom management medications. Some of the meds like Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) will treat anxiety and depression to ease mood swings and mental problems.
How He Got It
Although there’s already a connection between FTD and the abnormal buildup of proteins in the brain lobes, the reason for it isn’t clear. According to the National Institute on Aging , based on previous research, in the case of Bruce Willis, a mutation in the MAPT gene might be linked to protein formation in the brain.
Words from Dr. Purcell states, “We are still uncertain of a lot of the causes of FTD in patients. It may be down to a genetic component, which is associated with proteins that get deposited in the brain.”
Mistaken For Aphasia
Before Bruce Willis’ final diagnosis, he was reportedly struggling with aphasia. Unfortunately, little is known of FTD, and the symptoms the famous actor showed last year were mistaken by his caregivers for aphasia.
Could This Be The Last Of The “Die Hard” Star?
In the spring of 2022, the family of Bruce Willis issued a statement announcing that the actor would be taking a step away from filmmaking due to him being diagnosed with aphasia. Further stating that it had affected his cognitive abilities to understand and express speech.
With the diagnosis clearer, his family has stated that his condition had progressed, which spells bad for the actor’s career — causing an abrupt end to his acting.
The Full Statement From The Family
Posted on The AFTD official website, the Willis family stated, “As a family, we wanted to take this opportunity to thank you all for the outpouring of love and compassion for Bruce over the past ten months. Your generosity of spirit has been overwhelming, and we are tremendously grateful for it.
For your kindness, and because we know you love Bruce as much as we do, we wanted to give you an update.
Since we announced Bruce’s diagnosis of aphasia in spring 2022, Bruce’s condition has progressed and we now have a more specific diagnosis: frontotemporal dementia (known as FTD).”
Recent Rumors On His Likeness
In the last quarter of 2022, rumors of the iconic actor’s Likeness being sold to a Deep-Fake Company sprung up. The Hollywood Reporter , in communication with Bruce’s rep, confirmed that he “has no partnership or agreement with this Deepcake company.”
Willis’ appearance in an advertisement through Deepcake, creating a “digital twin” of him, was only a mere partnership with his representatives at CAA. Not sold to the company — approval will be needed again for any future use of his “digital twin.”
His Final Bow To Acting
Contrary to the thought of Paradise City as his last movie, Bruce Willis has one final film, Assassin , coming out in the spring of 2023. The distributing company, Saban Films, recently released a first look and trailer into the movie showing the action star holding a gun in the street with cars in the background. This last movie is said to be based on the short film by Atlas and Wolfe, Let Them Die By Lovers .
A Look Into The Movie
Assassin will see the legendary actor play the role of Valmora, a former head of an elite CIA group and black-ops soldier trying to stop a rogue faction with an experimental human drone tech. The movie will also feature Dominic Purcell from Legends of Tomorrow , Fernanda Andrade from Moon Knight , and Mustafa Shakir from Cowboy Bebop .