Bruce Willis's daughter gives latest update on dad's health as Die Hard star battles dementia

31 May 2024, 14:02

Rumer Willis also shared how Bruce is involved with his granddaughter's milestones.

Bruce Willis's daughter has given fans an update on the star's health as he continues to battle frontotemporal dementia.

His eldest daughter, Rumer Willis, 35, appeared on The Today Show to reveal that despite his illness, Bruce is doing well and is a doting grandfather to her one-year-old daughter.

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Speaking about her parents Demi Moore and Bruce Willis, Rumer said they are fantastic grandparents who spoil her daughter, Louetta Isley Thomas.

"Honestly, seeing them with her, it almost unlocks all of these childhood memories because being a grandparent is the best," Rumer said of her parents.

"They have all of the love and joy without any of the responsibilities, they get to just spoil her."

When asked about her father's health, Rumer said: "He's so good! I actually got to see him right before I came out [to New York]."

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She went on to explain how her daughter is learning to walk, and often goes to Bruce.

"Lou is just starting to walk a little bit, and she was walking over to him, and it was so sweet!"

Rumer, who has four female siblings, went on to explain how Willis, 69, is a great father to girls.

"It's so nice because I feel like my dad is a girl dad through and through, and it almost unlocks that little kid, girl dad thing, he's so sweet with her. Like how I saw him with my sisters, my little sisters."

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She went on to add how touched the whole family are at the outpouring of support for their father after the public learned about his diagnosis.

"What's lovely to see is people will stop me on the street or the airport or wherever it is, and are so effusive about how much they love him, how much of an impact he's had on them, or just that they're sending love to our family."

She continued: "It really makes me a proud daughter, honestly, to see just how much love he's getting. And also just that our vulnerability and transparency about what he's going through, to me, is so important."

Rumer went on to add how important it is to their family that their experience can potentially help others.

"If it can have any impact on another family that is struggling in any way with something like this or bring more attention to the disease in hopes of finding a cure, or anything that can be of service to anybody else I think is really important."

Bruce withdrew from acting in 2022 after experiencing difficulties with aphasia, a condition that affects speech.

However, in 2023 his family confirmed he had since been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia – the most common form of dementia in people under 60.

"Unfortunately, challenges with communication are just one symptom of the disease Bruce faces. While this is painful, it is a relief to finally have a clear diagnosis," his family said in February.

"Today there are no treatments for the disease, a reality that we hope can change in the years ahead," they added.

Bruce's family thanked fans and expressed their "deepest gratitude for the incredible outpouring of love" they had received.