Devoted Fans Revisit Beloved Bruce Willis Moments After Dementia Diagnosis

It's been over a year since Hollywood star Bruce Willis was diagnosed with Aphasia, later confirmed to be Frontotemporal Dementia, in February.

Following the sad news, fans of the star have been kept up to date on his well-being, with his wife Emma Hemming Willis, sharing a glimpse of his day-to-day life on social media.

Recently, "Moonlighting" director Glenn Gordon Caron made the heartbreaking revelation that Willis had lost his "Language Skills."

This sad news caused fans of the actor to take a trip down memory lane by viewing Willis' best moments on TV and in films, remembering how great he was on camera.

Director Glenn Gordon's remarks on Bruce Willis' health came on the heels of the news that his iconic 1985 comedy-drama series, "Moonlighting," will be available to stream for the first time ever on Hulu.

The TV series, which ran for five seasons, follows the life of a wealthy entrepreneur and former model, Maddie Hayes (Cybil Shepherd), who runs the private company Blue Moon Detective Agency. 

Together with her partner and lead detective, David Addison (Willis), the duo investigated cases and helped solve crimes. Some of their cases included ensuring the safety of VIPs and finding missing persons. On some occasions, they were tasked with spying on unfaithful spouses.

The fun comedy-drama helped relaunch Shepherd's career and is considered by many to be Willis' first step into movie stardom.

"Moonlighting" currently has a fresh score of %89 on the review site Rotten Tomatoes and has recently become a great escape for fans of the star who want to peek into his heydays prior to his dementia diagnosis.

While speaking about the beloved series, a fan wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter), "Ahhhh such memories. This will be my weekend binge."

Another tweeted, "Bless you Bruce. My husband has frontal lobe dementia and so I know a bit about the struggles involved. You have always been a hero--and now, more than ever."

"The first three seasons are among the best TV programs ever made…This show has swagger," A third person wrote.

More fans gushed about how great Willis looked and his chemistry with Shepherd in the show. "Moonlighting" went on to win 6 Emmy Awards from 40 nominations and 3 Golden Globe Awards out of 10 nominations.

In his long list of iconic films and TV appearances, "The Fifth Element" probably ranks among the highest of Willis' most cherished works.

He starred alongside Milla Jovovich, Chris Tucker, and Gary Oldman. Willis played the lead character, Korben Dallas, an ex-major from Planet Earth's special forces currently working as a cab driver. He teams up with Leeloo (Jovovich), a strange young woman who drops into his flying cab out of nowhere. 

The two pair up, and together, they go on a quest to gather four mystical stones essential for Earth's survival against evil forces.

"The Fifth Element" was a critical and commercial success, grossing over $239m from a budget of $90m. To this day, the movie is still heavily referenced for its many iconic scenes, and it is considered by some to be one of the best sci-fi films ever made.

In the wake of his recent diagnosis, fans have been rewatching Willis in "The Fifth Element" to keep the memory of his impeccable acting and signature wit and humor fresh.

"12 Monkeys must be up there with The Fifth Element among the most interesting things Bruce Willis did," a fan of the star wrote on X.

The movie received an Academy Award nomination for Best Sound Editing and won several other awards following its release in 1998, including a British Academy of Film and Television Arts award for Best Visual Effects.

Regarding Willis' filmography, "Die Hard" is the one to watch to see Willis at his best.

The "Die Hard" movies are the actor’s most popular TV performances. The first installment, directed by John McTiermann in 1988, was based on Roderick Thorp's 179 novel "Nothing Lasts Forever."

Willis played New York Police Detective John McClane, who happened to be present during a terrorist takeover of a Los Angeles skyscraper. The actor was reportedly paid $5 million for his performance, making him one of Hollywood’s most-paid actors at the time.

While the original movie received mixed reviews upon its release, it earned $140 million against its $35 million budget and became the tenth highest-grossing movie of the year. It also received four Academy Award nominations and significantly elevated Willis’s leading man status in Hollywood.

Recently, fans have returned to this iconic franchise to enjoy Willis performing in intense action scenes keenly.

"The Die Hard Franchise by Bruce Willis is right up there with Fast & Furious, Mission Impossible, and others," a fan wrote on X.

"I wanna watch Die Hard but I’m scared i won’t be able to recognize Bruce Willis without his bald head," another joked.

A third person tweeted, "Bruce Willis was my action hero as I grew up, watching Die Hard for the first time on a little CRT in a hotel. The fact I will never hear him say Yippee Ki-Yay again deeply saddens me. These sorts of neurological illnesses I wouldn't wish on anyone."

Then there's also THIS fun photo of Willis on the set of "Die Hard With a Vengeance" 1995, which recently resurfaced on X.

The news of Willis' dementia diagnosis has kept his family and fans heartbroken for the jovial and energetic star. 

But thanks to his wife, Emma Hemming Willis, fans have been able to get a good glimpse of how the actor has been fairing.  

Although "Moonlighting" director Glenn Gordon Caron recently revealed that Willis had lost his "language skills," he noted that "he’s still Bruce," and nothing else has changed about the outstanding actor.

Emma also tends to share heartwarming moments showcasing Willis surrounded by all the love he needs to thrive and stay happy during these challenging moments. His daughters, also post photos and videos of themselves being goofy with the movie star.

It is safe to say that Willis is still very much a happy man who always has a smile on his face.