Bruce Willis daughter sheds light on how dementia has affected Die Hard star
Movie star Bruce Willis's daughter Talulah has revealed what life is like at home for the actor as he battles against dementia. Die Hard legend Bruce was diagnosed with a form of dementia in March this year. The family had first thought he was suffering from a condition called aphrasia which leaves people struggling to speak, read, or understand people. However, it turned out that was just one symptom of his condition - which was later revealed to be frontotemporal dementia.
Speaking about his condition and how he is now, Talulah, said her movie star father is still able to get around comfortably and always recognizes her when he sees her.
She told Vogue magazine: "These days, my dad can be reliably found on the first floor of the house, somewhere in the big open plan of the kitchen-dining-living room, or in his office. Thankfully, dementia has not affected his mobility.
"That office has always been a kind of window into what he’s most interested in at any given moment. Recently I found a scrap of paper there on which he had written, simply, “Michael Jordan.” I wish I knew what he was thinking."
Talulah, who is Bruce's third child with fellow movie star Demi Moore, added that his room always has music playing and is filled with things the actor has collected over the years.
England star Joe Marler reflects on lowest point after fight with pregnant wifeSigns of Bruce's secret battle began to emerge when the star was still acting with others on set confused about some of the things he was doing.
The 68-year-old is said to have been filming the M. Night Shylaman film Glass in 2017 and 2018, when two production sources said the actor appeared "slightly off".
Speaking to Page Six, a source said: "Bruce seemed a little confused at times and needed a little more help with his lines. This was the first time that I had heard anything about his health. At that point it seemed that he was a little off. We thought it could be anything from ageing to maybe even being a little drunk—common mistakes that people make when seeing the first signs of anything like dementia—to just not wanting to be there. In reflection, Bruce may have been struggling with all of this back then."
According to the Alzheimer's Association, Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) or frontotemporal degeneration 'refers to a group of disorders caused by progressive nerve cell loss in the brain's frontal lobes (the areas behind your forehead) or its temporal lobes (the regions behind your ears).
The nerve cell damage caused by frontotemporal dementia leads to loss of function in these brain regions, which variably cause deterioration in behavior, personality and/or difficulty with producing or comprehending language.