Legendary Actor, Bruce Willis To Step Away From Acting Due To Aphasia Brain Disorder Diagnosis
Hollywood actor, Bruce Willis is stepping away from his career after being diagnosed with aphasia, a condition that can affect the ability to speak or write, it has emerged.
His daughter, Rumer Willis broke the news on Instagram, alongside a post of the Die Hard star, with the rest of his family posting the same message too.
“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,” said a statement signed by his family members.
The same statement and photo of Mr. Willis was posted on the Instagram accounts of his wife Emma Heming Willis, his ex-wife Demi Moore, and three of his five daughters, Rumer, Scout and Tallulah.
Aphasia is a condition that damages parts of the brain responsible for language, according to the National Institutes of Health. There are several causes for the disorder, including a stroke, head injury or degenerative disease.
Treatment for aphasia focuses on the underlying cause first, said Dr. Adam Boxer, director of the neurosciences unit at the University of California, San Francisco.
Some patients improve with speech therapy, but it depends on what caused the aphasia, Dr. Boxer said. Those who had small strokes, or treated their strokes quickly, have better outcomes, he said.
The family didn’t disclose the cause of Mr. Willis’s condition and didn’t say how long he will step away from his career for.
They added;
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.
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Willis, who is 67 years old, started his movie career in the 1980s and has enjoyed a long Hollywood career of blockbusters.
Willis starred in several Hollywood blockbusters, including “The Sixth Sense,” “Armageddon,” and “The Expendables.”
He also appeared in 1994 Quentin Tarantino classic Pulp Fiction with John Travolta, Uma Thurman and Samuel L Jackson.
His best-known role is that of John McClane, the fictional detective in 1988’s “Die Hard,” a part he played again in four more sequels. The most recent film in the series, 2013’s “A Good Day to Die Hard,” grossed $305 million world-wide at the box office.
The prolific actor still has multiple projects set for relase, such as Fortress: Sniper’s Eye, Vendetta and Corrective Measures.
