Bruce Willis ‘walks away’ after aphasia diagnosis – The Hollywood Reporter

Bruce Willis In a statement published on social media, his family said that he “stayed away” from his acting career after he was diagnosed with aphasia, which leads to a loss of the ability to understand or express speech.

“To the amazing Bruce fans, as a family we wanted to share that our beloved Bruce has some health issues and was recently diagnosed with aphasia, which affects his cognitive abilities,” the statement read. “As a result of this and with so much consideration, Bruce is walking away from a career that meant so much to him.”

The 67-year-old film star is best known for playing the role of John McClane in the iconic film die hard Franchise business. The original 1988 film made Willis a movie and action star after he was known primarily as a television comedian, specifically on series. moon light (1985-89).

“I am very saddened by this news,” Larry Gordon, Producer die hard The sequel 1990, narrated The Hollywood Reporter. “Bruce is a good friend and it was great to work with him die hard 1 And the 2. Movies couldn’t be more difficult for an actor to make and survive. He is the preeminent professional and a bold man.”

Willis has starred in such blockbuster films Fifth Element (1997), disaster (1998) and The Sixth Sense (1999). Other Willis Classics Include The last scout (1991), death became her (1992) Pulp Fiction (1994) and 12 monkeys (1995).

“This is a truly challenging time for our family, and we deeply appreciate your continued love, sympathy and support,” the Willis family said in their statement. “We’re moving through this as a strong family unit, and we wanted to appeal to his fans 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. Love, Emma, ​​Demi, Rumer, Scout. , Tallulah, Mabel, & Evelyn.”

A year ago, director James Colin Brisack shot Willis films Survive in the game And the Fort Back to back in Puerto Rico. The actor remembers being in good spirits, and has a tradition of curling the pages once a scene is shot and shooting them like basketballs in a trash can. The director calls out to THR: “He and I had fun doing it. We both competed to see who could make more baskets. He laughed a lot. I laughed a lot. It was a lot of fun.” In a post on Instagram, Bresack praised To Willis, he writes, “I had the opportunity to work with him.”

Willis was instantly trending on social media as the news spread, with fans sharing their disbelief and sadness at the development.

Aaron Koch and Kim Masters contributed to this report.