Rumer Willis has provided a candid and emotional update on her father, Hollywood icon Bruce Willis, amid his ongoing battle with frontotemporal dementia (FTD), which he was diagnosed with three years ago. The actress, who is the eldest of the three daughters the Die Hard actor shares with ex-wife Demi Moore, acknowledged the difficulty of answering questions about his condition directly.
“People always ask me this question and I think it’s kind of a hard one to answer, because the truth is that anybody with FDT is not doing great,” Rumer explained in a video shared on her Instagram Stories on November 20. She clarified that while he is “not doing great” in the traditional sense, he is “doing OK in terms of somebody who is dealing with frontotemporal dementia.”
The 37-year-old admits that the typical parameters for assessing well-being “don’t really work anymore” in her mind, leading to an “interesting question” about his health. She ultimately centers her answer on gratitude for the present connection they share, even as his progressive neurodegenerative disease affects his recognition.
“The answer that I would give is that I’m so happy and grateful that I still get to go and hug him,” Rumer stated, emphasizing the lasting power of their bond. “I’m so grateful that when I go over there and give him a hug whether he recognizes me or not that he can feel the love I’ve given him, and I can feel it back from him.” She added that she “still see[s] a spark of him” and appreciates that he can feel the love she is giving.
Rumer also expressed profound gratitude that her father has been able to develop a relationship with her two-year-old daughter, Louetta Willis.“I just feel grateful that I get to go over there with Lou and we get to spend time with him,” she said.
The update follows recent insight from Bruce’s wife, Emma Heming Willis, who shares two younger daughters, Mabel and Evelyn, with the actor.Speaking to Vogue Australia in October, Emma shared the emotional toll the disease has taken on the family, especially the children. “They grieve. They miss their dad so much. He’s missing important milestones. That’s tough for them,” she noted, though she acknowledged the resilience of children while navigating the daily challenges of FTD. Frontotemporal dementia is a progressive, incurable disorder that typically affects the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain, causing gradual problems with behavior, personality, and language.