EXCLUSIVE: Bruce Willis Is Still 'Very Much Present in His Body' and 'Connecting' With Wife Emma During 'Gut-Wrenching' Battle With Dementia — As Ailing Actor Turns 71
Emma Heming Willis shared how she's celebrating Bruce on his 71st birthday.
March 19 2026, Published 2:05 p.m. ET
While Bruce Willis' mind continues to slip away amid his battle with dementia, he is still "very present in his body," as the former actor turns 71, RadarOnline.com can exclusively reveal.
Willis' wife, Emma Heming Willis, used the occasion to ask fans to support the research fund she set up in the couple's name, as Bruce continues to cognitively decline.
Bruce Willis Turned 71 Amid His Dementia Battle
Fans loved the throwback photo Emma Heming Willis shared showing Bruce in happier times.
Emma shared a throwback photo of a smiling Bruce aboard a yacht during a tropical vacation in happier times before his illness.
"Today we celebrate Bruce’s birthday. This journey with frontotemporal dementia (FTD) has opened my eyes to the realities so many families face," she began in the caption. "It’s what inspired me to create The Emma & Bruce Willis Fund to raise awareness of FTD, support research, and stand beside the caregivers who carry so much every day."
She urged fans who wanted to honor Bruce's birthday to "please consider supporting the fund or another organization working in this space, or simply checking in on a caregiver," calling it "a small act of kindness that can mean so much."
Bruce Willis Is 'Very Much Present in His Body'
Bruce Willis is still doing well physically at 71, despite the effects of dementia.
Emma previously revealed that Bruce is still holding up well physically.
"He’s still very much present in his body," the former model said of her husband.
While the Die Hard star lost his verbal capabilities to FTD, "He has a way of connecting with me, our children," Emma shared about herself and their two children, daughters Mabel, 13, and Evelyn, 11.
"That might not be the same as you would connect with your loved one, but it’s still very beautiful, it’s still very meaningful — it’s just different," she noted about how the Hollywood legend interacts physically with his family.
Emma added, "You just learn how to adapt to it and meet them where they’re at."
'Heartbreaking Moments' Amid Bruce Willis' Dementia Battle
Bruce Willis was initially diagnosed with aphasia in 2022.
Despite Emma looking at the glass as half full, an insider revealed that watching Bruce decline is "gut-wrenching."
"Every day there seems to be a new shock to contend with as his health worsens," the spy spilled, while the Pulp Fiction star, being unable to realize what he's going through, "makes for some heartbreaking moments."
Emma previously revealed that Bruce never fully understood he had dementia, as he was initially diagnosed with the communication disorder aphasia in 2022, which caused him to retire from acting.
It wasn't until the following year that doctors realized he was suffering from progressive and incurable FTD.
Emma Heming Willis Moved Bruce Into a New Home for the Sake of Their Daughters
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Emma Heming Willis is trying to give her daughters a normal upbringing amid their dad's dementia battle.
"The blessing and the curse of this is that Bruce never tapped in — he never connected the dots that he had this disease," Emma recalled.
She added, "And I’m really happy about that. I’m really happy he doesn’t know about it."
Emma revealed in August 2025 that Bruce had been moved out of the family's home and into a separate house nearby where he could receive round-the-clock care.
"I knew, first and foremost, Bruce would want that for our daughters," she told ABC News' Diane Sawyer while defending her decision. "He would want them to be in a home that was more tailored to their needs, not his needs."
