Hollywood Icon’s Wife Reveals Frontotemporal Dementia Progression

Los Angeles, August 27, 2025 - In an emotional preview of tonight’s ABC special Emma & Bruce Willis: The Unexpected Journey, Emma Heming Willis disclosed that her husband, actor Bruce Willis, is battling advanced frontotemporal dementia (FTD).

Speaking candidly about the disease, Heming Willis explained that while the 70-year-old star of Die Hard remains physically mobile and “in really great health overall,” his brain “is failing him” as FTD progressively impairs his language and communication abilities. First diagnosed with aphasia in 2022, Willis received a subsequent diagnosis of frontotemporal dementia in 2023, a neurodegenerative disorder marked by the deterioration of the frontal and temporal lobes-which govern personality, behavior, judgment, and language.

Heming Willis recounted early warning signs: sudden emotional withdrawal, a noticeable coldness, and the reemergence of a childhood stutter. “Bruce is still very much here in those little, cherished moments-a hearty laugh, a twinkle in his eye-but then it fades,” she shared, underscoring both the heartbreak and the family’s determination to find alternative ways to connect with him.

Frontotemporal dementia typically strikes individuals between ages 45 and 65 and progresses more rapidly than Alzheimer’s, often beginning with changes in personality or speech rather than memory loss. Today’s revelation brings renewed public attention to a condition that currently has no cure and no treatments to slow its progression.

Emma & Bruce Willis: The Unexpected Journey airs tonight at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.