Bruce Willis’ devastating dementia decline has left him ‘like a baby’: report

See more of our coverage in your search results. Bruce Willis “has declined a lot mentally” and is “living in his own world” three years after his frontotemporal dementia (FTD) diagnosis, according to a new report. “Sometimes he looks like a baby who is staring at an object with curiosity, just taking it in,” a source told the Daily Mail Sunday. “But if you look at him, he appears like a healthy middle-aged man.” The insider noted over the weekend that the 71-year-old is unaware of his own mental decline. Bruce Willis (pictured with his granddaughter) has reportedly “declined a lot mentally” and is “like a baby” three years after his frontotemporal dementia (FTD) diagnosis. demimoore/Instagram “Sometimes he looks like a baby who is staring at an object with curiosity, just taking it in,” a source told the Daily Mail Sunday of the actor, pictured with his wife. Emma Heming Willis/Instagram “He knows his life is different, but he doesn’t think it is that different,” the individual claimed. “He doesn’t talk about it or even complain much. He senses something is off, but he doesn’t have a full grasp of it.” Although Willis’ personality has changed a lot from when he was younger and “had a lot of energy and talked a ton,” the source said the actor is becoming more “at ease.” Willis’ rep has yet to respond to Page Six’s request for comment. Back in September, the “Die Hard” star’s wife, Emma Heming, gave a heartbreaking update about the “constant state of grief” she was navigating while taking care of her husband. The insider noted that Willis (pictured in the 2020 film “Hard Kill”) is unaware of his mental decline, though his personality has changed a lot. Courtesy Everett Collection The source claimed Willis (pictured in his 1998 film “Die Hard”) no longer has “a lot of energy” or talks a ton like he did when he was younger. Getty Images “It’s natural — we all want our loved ones to be healthy, full of life and [be] the person they always were,” she explained to Hello! magazine at the time. “But FTD is a devastating illness that steals things from you very slowly.” Heming pointed to the “immense lack of information” about dementia, saying the fact that people often ask whether Bruce still remembers her is “really eye-opening.” “My answer is always a resounding yes. Bruce doesn’t have Alzheimer’s. He has frontotemporal dementia, which affects a completely different part of the brain,” she clarified. In September, Bruce’s wife Emma shared that their family is in a “constant state of grief” as they continue to take care of him. emmahemingwillis/Instagram She did clarify, however, that her husband remembers who she is and everyone in their family as the progressive disease doesn’t affect his memory. Emma Heming Willis/Instagram Want more celebrity and pop culture news? Start your day with Page Six Daily. Thanks for signing up! Willis, 71, was diagnosed with the progressive disease in February 2023, about a year after his family revealed he was stepping away from acting following an aphasia diagnosis. “While this is painful, it is a relief to finally have a clear diagnosis,” the family said in a statement, noting that FTD is a “cruel disease” that can “strike anyone.” The “Sixth Sense” actor has been surrounded by his five children throughout his health battle. Since receiving the “cruel” diagnosis in February 2023, Bruce has been surrounded by his five daughters. Instagram/@demimoore He shares daughters Mabel and Evelyn with Emma and daughters Rumer, Scout and Tallulah, with his ex-wife, Demi Moore. (Bruce pictured with Moore, Emma and his three eldest daughters in 2019) Getty Images for goop He shares daughters Mabel, 14, and Evelyn, 12, with Heming, whom he married in 2009. Willis is also dad to daughters Rumer, 38, Scout, 35, and Tallulah, 32, whom he shares with his ex-wife, Demi Moore. “Each of them has built her own unique bond with him,” Heming gushed in September. “It’s incredible because all five are completely different, but they share the same foundation.” “Each of them has built her own unique bond with him,” Emma gushed of his daughters in September. demimoore/Instagram Fans got a rare glimpse of the actor (pictured with Rumer, Moore and Tallulah in 2018) at Tallulah’s wedding in August. Getty Images For Comedy Central Fans got a rare glimpse of Willis in August at Tallulah’s Idaho wedding to Justin Acee, with Vogue publishing a sweet snap of the father-daughter pair celebrating. Tallulah spoke about her everlasting “connection” to her father in a 2024 E! News interview. “Our visits have so much love and I feel that overarches anything for me,” she told the outlet. “I know he knows how much I love him, I know how much he loves me – I know how much he loves all of us.” Community Guidelines Welcome to the Page Six Community! Our community is about connecting people through open and thoughtful conversations. We want our readers to share their views and exchange ideas in a safe space. In order to do so, we've created a simple set of rules that will improve your experience. Simply put, keep it civil. 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