Emma Heming Willis has indicated that she believed the filming of Die Hard in 1988 may have contributed to symptoms of her husband Bruce Willis’s dementia before his diagnosis. The retired actor himself previously mentioned an “accident” that occurred on the set of the action film.
Following the news of Bruce’s aphasia diagnosis in 2022 at the age of 70, his family disclosed that his cognitive functions were impacted by the condition, which can lead to communication difficulties.
Subsequently, it was revealed in the following year that Bruce’s condition had worsened. His family stated that after the initial diagnosis, he was given a more specific diagnosis of frontotemporal dementia (FTD), which, according to NHS, typically results in behavioral or language changes at the onset.
Since then, Emma, 47, has been raising awareness about FTD and recently spoke with Fox News Digital before the release of her new book, “The Unexpected Journey: Finding Strength, Hope, and Yourself on the Caregiving Path,” today. She recounted the events leading up to Bruce’s diagnosis.
When she noticed something amiss with her husband, Emma initially attributed it to his apparent hearing loss from working on Die Hard. She recalled that Bruce shot a gun without ear protection during filming, leading to a significant loss of his hearing, which is a common issue with aging.
Emma believed that his hearing loss was causing miscommunications and difficulties in their interactions. She mentioned that their communication seemed strained compared to before.
In her book, Emma detailed how Bruce lost a significant portion of his hearing in one of his ears after filming Die Hard over 30 years ago. However, she noted that it was not a significant issue when they first met.
Before his aphasia diagnosis, Emma observed that Bruce seemed disconnected from his family. She noted instances where he appeared unresponsive, leading her to wonder if he was simply letting his daughters have private conversations.
Bruce had previously mentioned the hearing loss resulting from an incident on the Die Hard set, which led to partial hearing loss in his left ear. His family members, including Rumer Willis and Tallulah Willis, have also commented on his hearing issues affecting his interviews and interactions.
Tallulah, the youngest of Bruce’s daughters with Demi Moore, mentioned that the family attributed his unresponsiveness to hearing problems before the dementia diagnosis. She described how the initial unresponsiveness was attributed to his hearing loss from his movie roles.
In a recent interview, Emma discussed other signs she noticed before Bruce’s diagnosis, such as his childhood stutter resurfacing. She noted that their relationship dynamics felt different, and she was unaware that a lack of empathy could be a symptom of early-onset dementia.
If you have been impacted by this story, support is available at Dementia UK.