Bruce Willis, 69, makes rare public appearance amid dementia battle as he steps out in LA
Bruce Willis has been spotted making a rare public appearance in Los Angeles, where the 69-year-old actor was seen being driven around the San Fernando Valley neighbourhood to survey wildfire damage.
The Die Hard star remained in his vehicle during the drive, dressed casually in a t-shirt as he looked out the window, according to photographs obtained by the Daily Mail.
The outing marks one of Willis’s few public appearances since his retirement from acting in 2022.
The actor recently showed his gratitude to first responders battling the devastating fires in the area.
His wife Emma Heming shared a touching video of Willis shaking hands with an officer who told him: “We appreciate you.”
“Spotting a first responder, Bruce never missed a chance to show his gratitude with a heartfelt handshake and a ‘thank you for your service.’ Yesterday was no different,” Heming wrote on Instagram.
Hemming recently revealed that doctors initially dismissed his earliest dementia symptoms, mistaking them for a return of childhood stuttering.
“He had a severe stutter as a child… when he began to experience difficulties with language, it seemed like it was just a part of his stutter,” she told Town & Country magazine.
The actor was diagnosed with aphasia in 2022, followed by frontotemporal dementia in 2023.
Filmmaker Glenn Gordon Caron recently shared that Willis is “not totally verbal” anymore and “sees life through a screen door.”
Sources indicate Willis has around-the-clock care, with at least one family member always by his side.
“Bruce has good days and bad days, but in the last two months, there are many more bad days than good,” a source told the media.
Hemming has spoken about their journey, saying: “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.”
The wildfires in southern California forced thousands to evacuate and damaged thousands of homes earlier this month.
The area affected by the major fires covered a region equal to three times the size of Manhattan.
Large areas of southern California, including regions surrounding Los Angeles, were threatened by a series of fires that prompted widespread evacuations.
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Willis’ family first revealed his FTD diagnosis in February 2023, following his retirement from acting due to aphasia, a brain disorder that affects speech and language comprehension.
Since then, the Hollywood icon has been showered with love and unwavering support from his family.
Last month, Hemming opened up about their journey, emphasizing that she doesn’t “shield” their young daughters from the reality of Bruce’s condition.