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Bruce Willis’s daughter Tallulah shares message amid dementia struggle

Daughter of the retired action and comedy actor shared some personal family moments with fans

Nicole Vassell
Wednesday 15 November 2023 14:56 GMT
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Family of Bruce Willis announce actor's 'painful' dementia diagnosis

Tallulah Willis has shared some photos with her father, Bruce Willis, as he continues to live with dementia.

Last year, family members of the Die Hard star issued a joint statement announcing his retirement from acting following a diagnosis of aphasia, a brain disorder that controls language expression and comprehension.

In February, Willis’s family shared that he had been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia.

Tallulah, also an actor, posted a series of personal photos of her and her father on social media on Tuesday (14 November), along with a heartfelt dedication.

“Damn, these photos are hitting tonight,” she began her caption. “You’re my whole damn heart and I’m so proud to be your Tallulah Belle Bruce Willis.”

Other pictures in the carousel post included a censored image of her driving licence displaying her full name, part of which she shares with her father. Another photo shows them standing together outdoors as Tallulah wears a grey sweatshirt with “Die Hard” on the front.

In response to Tallulah’s post, several fans and supporters have shared encouraging words in the comments section, including Kate Beckinsale who wrote: “In it together, I will always be here for you.”

Bruce Willis and Tallulah Willis (Instagram - Tallulah Willis)

In May, Tallulah shared some insight into her life since her father’s health decline and expressed a habit of documenting their time spent together.

“Every time I go to my dad’s house, I take tons of photos – of whatever I see, the state of things,” she said in an as-told-to piece for Vogue.

“I’m like an archaeologist, searching for treasure in stuff that I never used to pay much attention to. 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.”

Last month, Glenn Gordon Caron, the creator of Moonlighting, the Eighties detective procedural that starred Willis and Cybill Shepherd, shared an update on the actor’s health.

According to Caron, Willis is “not totally verbal” and expressed his surprise at the effects that aphasia and dementia have had on his “joie de vivre”.

“The thing that makes [his disease] so mind-blowing is [that] if you’ve ever spent time with Bruce Willis, there is no one who had any more joie de vivre than he,” he said. “He loved life and… just adored waking up every morning and trying to live life to its fullest.”

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