Famous actor with well-known Idaho ties has cognitive disorder, ‘is stepping away’

Bruce Willis, the award-winning actor and celebrity with longstanding ties to Idaho, is stepping away from the spotlight and his career after a diagnosis of aphasia, a condition that causes loss of the ability to understand or express speech, his family said Wednesday.

In a statement posted on Willis’ Instagram page, the 67-year-old actor’s family announced that Willis’ condition was recently diagnosed and that it is impacting his cognitive abilities.

“As a result of this and with much consideration, Bruce is stepping away from the career that has meant so much to him,” read the statement signed by Willis’ wife, Emma Heming Willis; his ex-wife, Demi Moore; and his five children: Rumer, Scout and Tallulah, all with Moore; and Mabel and Evelyn, with Heming Willis.

“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,” they said. “As Bruce always says, ‘Live it up’ and together we plan to do just that.”

There are many potential causes of aphasia. It often occurs after a stroke or head injury, but can also develop gradually due to a slow-growing brain tumor or a disease that causes degenerative damage, like Alzheimer’s disease. It’s treated primarily with speech therapy and learning non-verbal means of communication.

Willis’ family didn’t divulge whether they know what caused his aphasia. Representatives for the actor declined to comment.

The news about Willis, one of Hollywood’s most beloved actors and both an Emmy and Golden Globe winner, immediately spread online as fans reacted. His four-decade career has amassed more than $5 billion in box office worldwide.

Willis and his family are well-known to Idahoans. He and Moore moved to Idaho in 1988 and raised their three daughters in Hailey, where he started buying a lot of property and businesses in the mid-1990s. He sold his enormous Hailey residence in 2018.

Willis also owned the Solider Mountain Ski Area in Fairfield for several years before donating it to a nonprofit in 2012.

Willis had been working steadily and frequently recently. Renowned for films such as the “Die Hard” franchise, “Pulp Fiction” and “The Sixth Sense,” Willis has in recent years churned out straight-to-video thrillers. Last year he starred in a staggering eight films. Most came and went quietly, including “Cosmic Sin,” “Out of Death” and “Deadlock.”

Most recently, Willis starred in February’s “Gasoline Alley” and “A Day to Die,” released in early March. Willis has shot at least six more films that are due out in 2022 and 2023, including “Die Like Lovers,” “Corrective Measures” and “The Wrong Place.”

Willis won both an Emmy and a Golden Globe for his role in the 1980s TV show “Moonlighting,” which also starred Cybill Shepherd and launched his career.