Bruce Willis will be stepping away from acting after his family announced on Wednesday that he’s been diagnosed with aphasia…
Bruce Willis will no longer be acting after the veteran leading man was diagnosed with aphasia.
His family made the announcement via social media on Wednesday.
“To Bruce’s amazing supporters, as a family we wanted to share that our beloved Bruce has been experiencing some health issues and has recently been diagnosed with aphasia, which is impacting his cognitive abilities,” Willis’ daughter Rumer posted on Instagram. “As a result of this and with much consideration Bruce is stepping away from the career that has meant so much to him.
“This is a really challenging time for our family and we are so appreciative of your continued love, compassion and support. We are moving through this as a strong family unit, and wanted to bring his fans in because we know how much he means to you, as you do to him. As Bruce always says, “Live it up” and together we plan to do just that.”
Aphasia is a condition that causes an “inability to comprehend or formulate language because of damage to specific brain region,” which is typically caused by stroke or brain damage.
Willis, 67, has been an icon of film and television for the past 40 years but his big break came in 1985 when he landed the leading role on the TV series “Moonlighting” where he starred opposite Cybill Shepherd. His role won him both an Emmy and a Golden Globe before the show came to an end in 1989.
It was in 1988 that Willis crossed over to become a massive film star following his role in the smash hit “Die Hard” where he played veteran cop John McClane with the original film earning more than $138 million worldwide. The “Die Hard” franchise eventually spawned four more sequels with Willis starring in every single film, while also doing many of his stunts along the way.
Willis also received critical acclaim for his role in Quentin Tarantino’s “Pulp Fiction” in 1994 as well as his role in “The Sixth Sense” in 1999. Willis became a frequent collaborator with “Sixth Sense” director M. Night Shyamalan while appearing in several more films including 2019’s “Glass.”
While he primarily remained a film star throughout his career, Willis also managed to slip in some television roles from time to time including his Emmy award winning role on the sitcom “Friends,” which was a part he took after losing a bet to co-star Matthew Perry after they worked on a film together called “The Whole Nine Yards.”
During his illustrious career, Willis’ starred in films that grossed more than $3 billion at the box office as he remained a star over the years.
