American actor Bruce Willis suffers from dementia, his family has announced. He stopped acting last year because of the language disorder aphasia. Now, frontotemporal dementia (FTD) has also been diagnosed. Especially people between the ages of 40 and 60 get this form of dementia.
The life expectancy for someone suffering from FTD is, according to Alzheimer Nederland, an average of six to eight years after diagnosis.
“Unfortunately, communication problems are just one symptom of Bruce’s illness,” his family writes. “Although it’s painful, it’s a relief that we finally have a clear diagnosis.”
Attention to dementia
With the announcement of the diagnosis, the family wants to draw more attention to the disease. “We are sure that if he still could, Bruce would bring global attention and show solidarity with people who are also dealing with this debilitating disease,” his family continues.
The 67-year-old Willis has appeared in more than seventy films in his career, including the action film series Die Hard, Pulp Fiction, Armageddon and The Sixth Sense. He won a Golden Globe and an Emmy Award in 1987 for his role in the television series Moonlighting. Assassin, the last film he worked on, will probably be screened this year.
- Hollywood star Bruce Willis retires from acting due to language disorder
