Actor Bruce Willis might be a talented actor known to the public for his roles in iconic films like Die Hard, The Sixth Sense and Pulp Fiction, but to kids Rumer, 36, Scout, 33, and Tallulah, 30, he's simply known for being "Dad." And after the now-retired actor's family announced his dementia diagnosis last February, that is more than enough for them.
Daughter Tallulah, who, along with her two sisters, Bruce shares with ex-wife Demi Moore, sat down with the Today show last week and opened up about her father's health after he was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia in February 2023, and the way the family has felt more encouraged than ever to really cherish the moments that they get to have together.
"He's doing stable, which in this situation is good, and is hard. There's painful days, but there's so much love," Tallulah told Today. "It's really shown me to not take any moment for granted ... I think he's very proud of me. You have to be in the moment. You have to be present."
According to a statement shared by Bruce's current wife, Emma Heming, the two children they share (Mabel, 12, and Evelyn, 10) as well as his older daughters and ex-wife Demi, the 69-year-old actor had first been diagnosed with aphasia, a language disorder that affects a person's ability to express or understand language, in the spring of 2022, which then progressed to frontotemporal dementia by February 2023.
"Every time I go dad's house, I take tons of photos—of whatever I see, the state of things. I'm like an archaeologist, searching for treasure in stuff that I never used to pay much attention to," Tallulah wrote in a Vogue article a few months after the diagnosis was announced to the public. "I have every voicemail from him saved on a hard drive. I find that I'm trying to document, to build a record for the day when he isn't there to remind me of him and of us."
Annie O’Sullivan (she/her) covers holiday, gift guide, travel, and lifestyle content at Good Housekeeping. She has a degree in magazine journalism from Syracuse University and previously reported for Runner’s World, NBC New York/NY 4 and Woman’s Day. Annie also has experience writing entertainment news and celebrity-focused content.
