Bruce Willis painfully opens up about life before dementia diagnosis

Bruce Willis focused on entertaining audiences rather than thinking about his career before his dementia diagnosis.

The Hollywood icon, 70, was diagnosed with aphasia in 2022, which later developed into frontotemporal dementia, a condition affecting memory, language and behaviour.

Emma Heming Willis, 47, his wife, told PEOPLE that Bruce never spent time worrying about his legacy.

“I don't think that he's ever harped or thought long and hard about who he is, what he's done. I think he's just always enjoyed being an actor, entertaining people,” she said.

Emma, who married Bruce in 2009 in the Turks and Caicos Islands, described his humility and passion for his work as the reasons she fell in love with him after meeting at a gym in 2007.

Bruce rose to fame in the 1980s with the TV series Moonlighting and later starred in blockbuster films like Pulp Fiction, Armageddon and The Sixth Sense.

He retired from acting following his diagnosis but remained a cherished figure in Hollywood.

His eldest daughter, Rumer Willis, 37, recently shared that Bruce does not always recognise her, but she is grateful for the moments they share.

“I’m so happy and grateful that I still get to go and hug him,” she said, adding that she can still feel the love between them.

The star has five daughters, Rumer, Scout and Tallulah with ex-wife Demi Moore, and Mabel and Evelyn with Emma.

Despite his health challenges, the Willis family continued to treasure their time with him, celebrating both his career and his life with family and loved ones.