For decades, Bruce Willis charmed audiences playing tough, heroic cops — from John McClane in Die Hard to John Hartigan in Sin City. But on January 15, as wildfires continued to burn in Los Angeles County following days of devastation, Bruce happily paid homage to real-life law enforcement working to keep Hollywood safe.
“Whenever he spotted a first responder, Bruce never missed the chance to offer a heartfelt handshake and a ‘Thank you for your service,’” his wife, Emma Heming, wrote on Instagram alongside a series of photos showing the legendary action star shaking hands with LAPD officers in a surprise outing. “Yesterday was no different.”
But Bruce’s life these days is different. In 2022, his family announced his retirement from acting after he was diagnosed with aphasia, a neurological condition that robs a person of their ability to communicate. Within a year, it had progressed to a form of dementia.
“Though his spirit is still there, he’s not the same Bruce anymore,” a source exclusively tells Life & Style. “He’s being brave, but life is also scary for him at times. The public doesn’t see the dark side of his illness. Fortunately, he has his family to support him through what they’ve come to accept as his final chapter.”
Bruce Willis’ Daily Life
He has good days and bad days. A “typical day” for the Golden Globe winner might be: “wake up, interact with his girls and wife, eat breakfast, then just enjoy time at home. Maybe one of his buddies might come over,” says the source, or perhaps ex-wife Demi Moore will visit.
“When I’m in L.A., I go over every week,” the newly minted Oscar nominee said in September 2024. “I really treasure the time that we all share.”
Then Bruce “will eat lunch and maybe be driven around,” adds the insider, noting he was spotted relaxing in the passenger seat of an SUV on January 22. “He may not be living his life on movie sets anymore, but he still enjoys seeing his community.”
His loved ones are making peace with the realities of Bruce’s health battle. Emma, 48, recently shared that daughters Mabel, 12, and Evelyn, 10, have “grown up with Bruce declining over the years. I’m not trying to shield them from it.”
The former model confirmed they “know that Daddy’s not going to get better.”
(According to the National Institute on Aging, the typical life expectancy for someone with his condition is six to eight years, though it can be as short as two.)
Bruce’s daughters with Demi, 62, — Rumer, Scout and Tallulah — have also shifted their expectations.
“Our visits have so much love and I feel that,” Tallulah, 30, told E! News in August 2024, “and that overarches anything for me — being able to have that connection.”
Bruce Willis’ Ups and Downs
Bruce’s friend Glenn Gordon Caron, who created Moonlighting, revealed in 2023 that the star was no longer fully verbal and seemed to be watching life “through a screen door.” But as Tallulah’s pointed out, “Thankfully, dementia has not affected his mobility.”
It has, unsurprisingly, affected his memory. Bruce’s condition has reportedly progressed to the point that he no longer recognizes some people, including Demi.
She’s remained positive.
“Given the givens, he’s in a very stable place,” the Ghost actress, who split from Bruce in 1998 after a decade of marriage, told CNN in December, explaining that she’s learned how important it is “to really meet them where they’re at [now]. And from that place there is such loving and joy.”
Demi acknowledged the situation’s been “very difficult” and that “there is great loss.” However, she insisted, “there is also great beauty and gifts that can come out of it.”
Celebrating Bruce Willis’ Milestone Birthday
His family is cherishing every moment. “Demi and Emma are working on a celebration for Bruce’s 70th birthday in March,” the source reveals. “It’s not about having a big spectacle. It’s about Bruce feeling loved by the people around him.”
Emma has admitted that marking special days can be bittersweet.
To cope, “I give myself 30 minutes to sit in the ‘why him, why us,’ to feel the anger and grief. Then I shake it off and return to what is. And what is… is unconditional love,” she shared in a December 2024 Instagram post about falling for Bruce 17 years ago. “I feel blessed to know it, and it’s because of him. I’d do it all over again and again in a heartbeat.”
