Legendary action movie star Bruce Willis is to retire from acting after being diagnosed with aphasia. The news that he was stepping away from acting was announced by Willis’s ex-wife Demi Moore on Instagram and is signed by his wife and children.
“To Bruce’s amazing supporters, as a family, we wanted to share that our beloved Bruce has been experiencing some health issues and has recently been diagnosed with aphasia, which is impacting his cognitive abilities,” Moore wrote. “As a result of this and with much consideration, Bruce is stepping away from the career that has meant so much to him.”
“This is a really challenging time for our family and we are so appreciative of your continued love, compassion and support,” the post continues. “We are moving through this as a strong family unit, and wanted to bring his fans in because we know how much he means to you, as you do to him. As Bruce always says, ‘Live it up’ and together we plan to do just that.”
Read Moore’s post for yourself here…
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Aphasia affects the language-processing part of the brain and causes an inability to comprehend or formulate language. The symptoms include the inability to comprehend language, the inability to speak spontaneously, and the inability to form words.
There have been rumours for a while now that Willis was dealing with some form of neurological ailment. Willis’s recent performances in a number of direct-to-video movies worried fans who noted how unengaged his performances seemed to be.
While Willis may be stepping away from the profession that made him a star he leaves behind a laudable legacy including Die Hard, the thriller movie The Sixth Sense, and the time travel drama 12 Monkeys.