Bruce Willis’ wife, Emma Heming Willis, has shared a difficult update about the actor’s health as he continues to fight dementia.
“Bruce is still very mobile. Bruce is in really great health overall,” she told Diane Sawyer in a new ABC special previewed Tuesday on Good Morning America. “It’s just his brain that is failing him. The language is going, and we’ve learned to adapt. We have a way of communicating with him now, but it’s just… different.”
Heming Willis, 47, has been caring for the Die Hard star, now 70, since he was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia (FTD) in 2023. The condition, which affects the brain’s frontal and temporal lobes, gradually strips away speech, behavior, and personality.
She recalled how the first signs were subtle changes in his personality. Once lively and outgoing, Willis began pulling away from loved ones. “He became removed, very cold,” she said. “When the family would get together, he would kind of just melt a little bit.” His words would sometimes vanish mid-sentence, and even a childhood stutter resurfaced.
When doctors confirmed his diagnosis, Heming Willis was told there was no treatment or cure. “I was so panicked,” she admitted. “I just remember hearing it, and then not hearing anything else. It was like free-falling.”
Since then, she has written a book, The Unexpected Journey: Finding Strength, Hope, and Yourself on the Caregiving Path, due out in September. Her goal is to support other caregivers and push for more awareness of dementia.
She isn’t sure whether Willis himself ever fully understood his diagnosis. Neurologist Dr. Bruce Miller, a leading expert on FTD, explained that many patients remain unaware of their condition because the parts of the brain responsible for self-awareness are often the first to fail.
The couple, who married in 2009 and share two daughters, Mabel, 13, and Evelyn, 11, continue to hold on to fleeting moments of connection. “Not days, but we get moments,” Heming Willis said, tearing up. “It’s his laugh. He has such a hearty laugh. Sometimes you’ll see that twinkle in his eyes. But as quickly as it comes, it goes.”
She added, “It’s hard. But I’m grateful. I’m grateful my husband is still very much here.”
Willis’ ex-wife, Demi Moore, and their daughters Rumer, Scout, and Tallulah, have also been by his side.
According to the CDC, FTD often causes dramatic personality and behavior changes. While dementia is more common in older adults, this form frequently strikes earlier in life, making it especially devastating for families.
