Bruce Willis Diagnosed With Aphasia, 'Stepping Away' From Acting

A-list actor Bruce Willis is reportedly retiring from acting. The icon is known for his performance in shows like the “Die Hard” franchise, “Looper,” “16 Blocks,” and many others. The 67-year-old received two Emmy awards, a Golden Globe award, two People’s Choice awards, and several other nominations during his acting career.

Willis was reportedly battling some health issues linked to memory loss before the announcement. His health condition is speculated to be the driving force behind his recent participation in poorly received low-budget films.

The actor’s daughter, Rumer Willis, recently took to Instagram to issue a statement concerning his health. In the statement, she revealed that he was recently diagnosed with aphasia, affecting his cognitive abilities. Due to this, Willis was bidding his farewell to the big screen.

Willis’ daughter recently released a statement about her father’s seemingly permanent leave from the acting industry. The “Die Hard” actor was previously suspected of having some health issues, and Rumer’s Instagram post just confirmed it.

Via the post, the actress revealed that her father was suffering from several health issues and was recently diagnosed with aphasia. This disease basically inhibits a person’s ability to communicate. According to her, the illness impacted his cognitive abilities, and because of this, “Bruce is stepping away from the career that has meant so much to him.”

The rest of the post read, “This is a challenging time for our family, and we are so appreciative of your continued love, compassion and support. We are moving through this as a strong family unit and wanted to bring his fans in because we know how much he means to you as you do to him.”

Willis’ five daughters, Rumer, Tallulah, Scout, Mabel, and Evelyn, signed off the post. His wife Emma Heming and ex-wife Demi Moore who recently wished him a happy birthday, were also mentioned in the released statement.

Willis was rumored to have issues with memory loss, which led to him working on low-budget, critically panned movies to earn as much as possible. In 2022 alone, IMDB revealed that the A-list actor starred in no less than 11 practically unknown titles.

These include “Fortress 3,” “Paradise City,” “White Elephant,” “ Wire Room,” “Corrective Measures,” “The Wrong Place,” “Vendetta,” “A Day to Die,” “Die Like Lovers,” “Fortress: Sniper’s Eye,” and “Gasoline Alley.”

While his family didn’t confirm the then rumors, Willis’ former director Matt Eskandari said some words about the situation. After a YouTube video dubbed “The Bruce Willis Fake Movie Factory” went viral, the director left a post in the comment section which confirmed the dementia rumors.

A user wrote, “I read somewhere that Bruce Willis has dementia, that he’s not really aware of what’s going on around him.” Eskandari replied, “Yes, this is true, my guy. I directed four movies with him, so I know first hand.”

He then added that the entire situation was sad because he witnessed the icon “deteriorating right in front of [his] eyes while on set.” He added, “I saw it while working with him [the] last few years.”