Bruce Willis’ daughter Tallulah shares emotional tribute to her father amid ‘tough’ dementia struggle
‘I love this guy so much,’ the ‘Die Hard’ actor’s daughter said
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Bruce Willis’s daughter Tallulah has given an update on how her family are coping with her father’s dementia diagnosis.
The Sixth Sense star, 69, is living with frontotemporal dementia (FTD), which he was diagnosed with last year.
FTD is an uncommon type of dementia that causes problems with behaviour and language, develops slowly, and gradually worsens over several years, according to the NHS.
Willis’ daughter admitted she is only now beginning to process her emotions around her father’s condition, having previously tried her best to ignore them.
Writing alongside photos of her and her father on Instagram, Tallulah said: “Hey I love this guy so much and feeling feelings is tough stuff, but I’m so grateful to let them flow through me now instead of disconnecting from it!”
The 30-year-old then shared a selection of images of her and the Die Hard star hugging, having dinner together, and going through his old magazine covers. “From the forever archives,” she wrote.
It comes shortly after Tallulah gave an update on her father’s health on theToday Show last month. Speaking to hosts Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb she said: “He’s doing stable, which in this situation is good, and is hard. There’s painful days, but there’s so much love.”
She explained that since the Die Hard actor’s diagnosis, she’s learned to spend her time more wisely and be appreciative of any time she is able to spend with her family, especially her dad.
“It’s really shown me to not take any moment for granted, and I really do think that we’d be best friends,” she said. “I think he’s very proud of me. You have to be in the moment. You have to be present.”
In March 2022, the actor was diagnosed with aphasia, a language disorder caused by brain damage that can lead to difficulties comprehending, speaking, reading, or writing.
However, one of the actor’s other daughters, Rumer, provided an update last year when she explained her father received a “more specific” diagnosis of frontotemporal dementia (FTD), a “rare and aggressive” form of the disease.
Tallulah has previously explained why her family are so open about Willis’ health. “I think it’s twofold. I think on one hand, it’s who we are as a family,” she said on The Drew Barrymore Show.
“But also, it’s really important for us to spread awareness about FTD.”
“If we can take something that we’re struggling with as a family and individually, to help other people, to turn it around, to make something beautiful about it, that’s really special for us.”
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments