Bruce Willis' Sad Last Days: Pictures of 'Die Hard' Star Raise Fears Over His Dementia Battle as He's Spotted on Rare Public Outing
New pictures of Bruce Willis have surfaced amid his battle with aphasia and frontotemporal dementia.
Sept. 23 2024, Published 8:30 a.m. ET
He starred in box office hits like The Sixth Sense, Pulp Fiction and Die Hard before retiring from acting two years ago.
But now RadarOnline.com can reveal Bruce Willis has appeared weary and confused in a series of pictures taken during a rare public outing in Los Angeles amid his ongoing battle with aphasia and frontotemporal dementia.
An insider said: "Sadly, Bruce is looking bloated and confused in these pictures, and the way his face appears to be drooping is a classic sign of advanced stages of dementia."
Bruce Willis now requires bodyguards and a team of caretakers to ensure his safety as his dementia progresses.
They continued: "It's so sad to see him this way, but at least he is getting out and about – and stimulation like that is essential for dementia patients as it keeps them engaged with life.
"The last thing he needs is to be shut off from society in his last days."
Willis, 69, was seen sitting in the passenger seat of a vehicle while driving through Brentwood on Saturday.
The Golden Globe winner, who starred in over 117 films throughout his 42-year acting career, stared out the car window during the rare public outing.
While the Unbreakable star appeared bloated in the new snaps, his face also appeared to be drooping.
The first sign of Bruce Willis's dementia was his childhood stutter returning, says his wife Emma Heming.
As RadarOnline.com reported, Willis was forced to retire from acting in March 2022 following his diagnosis with aphasia – a language disorder that affects a person's ability to understand and express language.
His daughter Rumer Willis, 36, shared the news in an emotional Instagram post at the time.
Rumer Willis announced her father was "stepping away" from acting in March 2022 amid his diagnosis with aphasia.
She said: "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."
Heming says she's been open with her young children about the Die Hard star's condition.
Nearly one year later, in February 2023, Willis' family announced his condition had worsened and the Sin City star was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia.
They said: "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).
"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."
The pictures of Willis looking confused while out and about in Los Angeles over the weekend also come after an insider claimed his family is "worried" he might not "make it to his 70th birthday" on March 19.
A source said: "The disease has progressed to the point where his family worries they may not have much more time with Bruce left.
"They wonder whether he'll even make it to his 70th birthday."
Willis has appeared increasingly frail and gaunt since his family announced his illness.
Willis' model wife Emma Heming Willis, 46, also took to Instagram over the weekend to mark FTD Awareness Week.
She attended the 14th International Conference of Frontotemporal Dementia in Amsterdam and praised the more than 750 clinicians, researchers, and scientists who gather at the conference every year to discuss advancements in frontotemporal dementia research.
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Willis' wife Emma attended the 14th International Conference of Frontotemporal Dementia in Amsterdam over the weekend.
Willis' wife of 15 years said: "I'm excited to hear and share their positive news, momentum, and hope during this World FTD Awareness Week to bring a sense of encouragement for families like mine and yours navigating an FTD diagnosis.
"Please follow along, repost, and add your own FTD story so we can continue to raise awareness around this disease.
"We're all in this together."
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