Bruce Willis Diagnosed with Aphasia

[NotUrsula]

While almost everyone with dementia eventually has aphasia, not everyone with aphasia has dementia. A friend's DH had primary progressive aphasia; there was nothing wrong with the clarity of his thinking, but over time he totally lost the ability to communicate, even in writing. Language skills just totally left him, but he remained physically fit for many years. It was just the most awful thing; he had been a humanities professor. In some ways, dementia-induced aphasia may be kinder, I think.

 

[fly girl]

Sad.

When we have deep talks, my family always agreed - let our body go before our mind. Watching anyone, let alone a loved one, go through it is heart wrenching. I wish that on no one.

I feel for Bruce and his family.

 

[Imzadi]

How very sad. I had mild word aphasia when my thyroid condition wasn't properly treated. It was awful knowing I usually knew the right word, but when I went to find it, it was like an empty space in the brain where the word usually was. Thankfully, when I was put on the right thyroid meds, it cleared up. It would would be horrible to have the condition and it only gets worse.

 

[OKW8297]

This saddens me. I too have been a fan since Moonlighting.

 

[mrsstats79]

So sad. Wishing him and his family all the best in dealing with this

 

[chickapin parterre]

bruce willis stills endure here in Yuma, AZ we have t-shirts and bumper stickers printed Yippee ki yay Melon Farmers

 

[KellyKane]

I actually rewatched Moonlighting over the course of the pandemic. I was 10 when it came out and my parents were HUGE fans..those were nights we were allowed to stay up "late" hah.

This news is so, so sad. He will always be David Addison to me. And John McClane to my brother hahah. Love, to him and his dear family. btw, Die Hard...is not a Christmas movie

 

[barkley]

Bruce's impairment must be significant for the family to share this information. Really sad to hear this news.

It has to be pretty bad

i have aphasia. thankfully it's not significant but it ebbs and wanes. if i'm stressed, overly tired or have a bad migraine it starts to become apparent (slurring words, dropped words, searching for words). mine are as a result of strokes that thankfully, observing or interacting with me socially you would likely never be aware i've experienced. that said-i can totally identify with anyone who suffers from it to any degree choosing to retire from acting. i was heavily involved in performing prior to experiencing aphasia. i did a couple of productions after i was diagnosed. i was fine with the singing-it uses a different part of the brain so it was no problem, but the acting? despite knowing lines word for word there was always this paralyzing fear that the words would escape me-and when they did during a rehearsal i felt like i was not only letting myself down but also the other actors. i can't imagine how much of a weight this has to be on someone like mr. willis where multiple millions of production dollars are at stake as well as the livelihoods of so many individuals.

I had mild word aphasia when my thyroid condition wasn't properly treated. It was awful knowing I usually knew the right word, but when I went to find it, it was like an empty space in the brain where the word usually was.

 

[Kathryn Merteuil]

I heard about this last night, that is so sad

 

[Pea-n-Me]

The way Rumer chose to write the announcement seemed a little confusing to me.



The way it reads is that aphasia is causing other problems, when generally, aphasia caused by something else.

Perhaps it is too painful to discuss, or they prefer not to use certain terms in order to protect Bruce, not sure.

What I have seen is it’s dementia & he has been dealing with it for quite awhile. Has used things like earpieces & voice overs to help lines. He just turned 67. It’s sad. Hard enough to deal with this stuff with a very elderly parent. Makes you pause when you realize it is happening to people just a few years older than you.

Looking back at some recent articles (via a quick Google search), there do appear to be some concerns for Bruce having dementia, as reported by people who worked on his numerous recent movie sets. If that’s the case, eventually it will become evident. Very sad all around, and certainly many for him and his family, but whether this was intentional or not, it would probably be more helpful to just say the actual cause if you’re going to make an announcement, rather than confuse people. This is something many people deal with - I had a friend die in her 50’s of dementia, as well as a beloved aunt at an older age. There is a lot to be learned about early stage dementia; maybe it would help people recognize early symptoms, etc. (Though admittedly, no one ever wants to believe that could be the case.)

 

[Moliphino]

What I have seen is it’s dementia & he has been dealing with it for quite awhile. Has used things like earpieces & voice overs to help lines. He just turned 67. It’s sad. Hard enough to deal with this stuff with a very elderly parent. Makes you pause when you realize it is happening to people just a few years older than you.

And his younger kids are only about 9 and 7. That must be so hard.

 

[Dakota731]

Prayers to him and his family. He was a gifted actor who brought me great joy through Moonlighting and his movies. I just read the book about the making of the series and it was very interesting.

 

[NotUrsula]

I tended to prefer Willis in comic roles, but the piece I will always remember best is actually wordless. There was an episode of Moonlighting that had a dream sequence directed by the legendary Stanley Donen. It was a dance production number set to Billy Joel's Big Man on Mulberry Street, and it was amazing. Donen cribbed parts of it from his work in An American in Paris, but there was more to it, and Willis beautifully pulled off what amounted to a Gene Kelly homage. This is it: