Overview
- Emma Heming Willis said on The Bossticks podcast on Monday that Bruce Willis has a language-predominant form of frontotemporal dementia and that his memory and recognition of family remain intact.
- The family first said Willis would step away from acting after an aphasia diagnosis in March 2022 and confirmed an FTD diagnosis in early 2023.
- The Willis family has emphasized there are currently no treatments for FTD and has used public disclosure to push for more research and awareness about the disease.
- Care has evolved as the condition progresses, with reports that Emma and Bruce now live in separate homes and Emma describing the emotional and practical burden of long-term caregiving.
- FTD affects the frontal and temporal lobes and can present in distinct variants that impact language, behavior, or movement; it is often underdiagnosed and is the most common dementia in people under 60, which complicates timely care and research efforts.