Die Hard star Bruce Willis was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia and has since retired from acting and is being cared for by his family and kids who will be with him this Christmas

Die Hard actor Bruce Willis will be spending Christmas surrounded by loved ones.

The Hollywood actor was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia earlier this year and has been seen only a few times since, and his family will be spending as much time as possible with him this holiday season.

Bruce, 69, decided to step away from the spotlight and announced his retirement in 2022 after his aphasia diagnosis. A year later, he was also diagnosed with dementia.

Those closest to the Die Hard actor have said the star is now “non-verbal” and the “the joie de vivre is gone” and his wife Emma said there is a lot of “grief and sadness”.

The whole Willis family have been by his side through his battle ( 
Image:
Instagram/demimoore)

Only a few weeks ago Bruce was spotted in a rare public appearance and smiled as he enjoyed a drive around Los Angeles. He rolled down his car window as he placed his forearm on the ledge while in the Studio City district. He wore a black LA cap paired with a black jacket and white T-shirt and appeared in high spirits during the drive as he kept his hands together on the passenger door with his security teams.

In October 2023, filmmaker Glenn Gordon Caron told Page Six that the star was “not totally verbal” anymore. The film creator ,who worked with Bruce in the 80s, spoke to Page Six last year and said: “My sense is the first one to three minutes he knows who I am. He’s not totally verbal; he used to be a voracious reader – he didn’t want anyone to know that – and he’s not reading now.

“All those language skills are no longer available to him, and yet he’s still Bruce… you’re grateful that he’s there, but the joie de vivre is gone.” He kept in contact with the star and his ex-wife, along with their three children. Caron told the Post that Bruce “now sees life through a screen door.”

A source close to the family claimed that Emma, 45, Demi, 61, Rumer, 35, Scout, 32, and Tallulah, 29, have been spending as much time as possible by his side alongside the younger girls Mabel, 11, and Evelyn, nine. They told US Weekly: “Bruce has good days and bad days, but in the last two months, there are many more bad days than good.

“This experience has brought the whole family even closer together. No one knows how much time Bruce has left, so they’re soaking up every moment they get with him. Bruce has around-the-clock care, but at least one family member is always with him.”

Bruce’s wife Emma Heming Willis previously opened up about caring for Bruce. She said: “There is grief and sadness, there’s all of that. But you start a new chapter, and that chapter is filled with love, it’s filled with connection, it’s filled with joy and happiness. That’s where we are.”

Last year, as the family celebrated Thanksgiving together, Bruce’s wife Emma Heming Willis shared a throwback photo of the whole family, including her and Bruce’s daughters Mabel and Evelyn, and his ex-wife Demi Moore and their daughters Rumer, Scout and Tallulah.

Expressing her gratitude for her blended family, she wrote: “I’m grateful and thankful to know this kind of love.” After revealing that Bruce had been diagnosed with language disorder aphasia in March 2022, the family confirmed that he had progressed to a frontotemporal dementia diagnosis. The disease has a typical life expectancy of between six and eight years, but can be as low as two years in some cases.

Scout shared a touching post with her dad ( 
Image:
instagram.com/scoutlaruewillis)

Bruce has always been a family man ( 
Image:
emmahemingwillis/Instagram)
A further source then confirmed that the whole family is so determined to be with Bruce as much as possible that they are pretty much living together. They said: “They’re all there all the time. Once Bruce was diagnosed, everyone came together to keep his memory of the family intact and to be there as a constant reminder they love him. Everything revolves around him.”

Meanwhile Rumer, who has always had a very close personal relationship with her father, reportedly brings her eight-month-old daughter Louetta to spend time with Bruce. The second source revealed: “Rumer wants to make sure Louetta knows Bruce. She wants him to be actively involved in Louetta’s life. It’s a very special bond.

“Rumer and her sisters love their dad so much. They are very conscious that any day could be his last.” On Father’s Day, Rumer shared a photo of Bruce holding Louetta to her Instagram account saying: “Papa I’m so lucky to have you and so is Lou.”

Emma continues to dedicate her time to caring for her husband Bruce as he struggles with his ongoing battle with dementia. Patients that suffer from the condition can experience a number of symptoms including unusual behaviours, emotional problems, trouble communicating, difficulty with work, or difficulty with walking, according to The National Institute on Aging.