Bruce Willis’ daughter, Rumer Willis, gave fans an update on her father’s frontotemporal dementia diagnosis during a recent Instagram Q&A.
The 37-year-old actress told followers Thursday that her father is “doing OK, in terms of somebody who’s dealing with frontotemporal dementia,” though she noted the harsh truth that “anybody with FTD is not doing great.”
As a refresher, the “Die Hard” star, 70, stepped away from acting in 2022 following an aphasia diagnosis. His family later revealed he was suffering from frontotemporal dementia, or FTD.
Actor Bruce Willis kisses daughter Rumer Willis’ head at an event celebrating 25 years of “Die Hard” at Fox Studio Lot on January 31, 2013 in Century City, California. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images)Getty Images
Despite the progressive nature of the disease, Rumer said she finds comfort in the moments they share. “I’m so grateful that when I go over there, and I give him a hug, whether he recognizes me or not, that he can feel the love I’ve given him, and I can feel it back from him,” she said. “That I still see a spark of him, and he can feel the love that I’m giving. So that feels really nice,” she added.
Willis now lives in a nearby residence where he receives round-the-clock care, a decision his wife, Emma Heming Willis, discussed publicly in August at Endwell Health 2025 via the New York Post.
She described the choice as necessary for the family’s safety and well-being, saying, “This is the best decision for our family. It was the safest one. And our family is now, in essence, thriving.”
Heming Willis noted their daughters’ world has “completely opened up” since the decision. “It’s the right thing for our family, and it might not be right for everybody else’s, but that’s OK. We’re all on our own journey,” she said.
Bruce Willis’s ex-wife, Demi Moore, also spoke about his condition in December 2024 to CNN, describing him as being in a “very stable place at the moment.” Moore emphasized the importance of meeting people with dementia “where they’re at, and from that place, there is such loving and joy.”
Willis has five daughters: Rumer, Scout, 34, and Tallulah, 31, with Moore, and Mabel, 13, and Evelyn, 11, with Heming Willis.
