Bruce Willis Spotted In A Car Ride With Bodyguards Amid Dementia Battle

Bruce Willis was recently seen taking a drive in Los Angeles amid his battle with aphasia and dementia.

The Hollywood star’s outing comes after his daughter, Rumer Willis, shared a heartwarming update about her father on Instagram.

The family revealed Bruce Willis’ aphasia diagnosis in March 2022 and later announced in February 2023 that he had frontotemporal dementia.

According to the Daily Mail, Bruce was spotted out for a drive with his bodyguard on a sweltering Sunday afternoon in Studio City, California, amid his battle with dementia.

Seated in the passenger seat in a black cap and a gray-striped, collared shirt, the iconic actor gazed into the side mirror of the car, looking somber.

This public appearance comes a few weeks after his eldest daughter, Rumer, shared an Instagram post on August 22 featuring a photo of herself holding her father’s hand.

In response to a fan’s inquiry about the actor’s condition, Rumer wrote, “He is great. I love him so much. Thank you.”

In a May interview on the “Today Show,” Rumer noted that her father had been doing “good” and enjoying time with her one-year-old daughter, Louetta, whom she shares with her ex-boyfriend, Derek Richard Thomas.

She said, “I actually got to see him right before I came out’ to New York,” adding, “Lou is just starting to walk a little bit, and she was walking over to him, and it was so sweet.”

Rumer continued, “It’s so nice because I feel like my dad is just like – he’s a girl dad, through and through. It almost unlocks that kind of little kid, girl-dad thing. He’s so sweet with her.”

During the interview, Rumer also highlighted the importance of her family’s openness about Bruce’s health struggles, stating that their vulnerability is intended to raise awareness.

“Our vulnerability and transparency as a family about what he’s going through to me is so important because if it can have any impact on another family that is struggling in any way with something like this, or bring more attention to the disease in hopes of finding a cure or anything that can be of service to anybody else, I think is really important,” Rumer stated.

More than two years ago, Bruce’s family made his health struggles public in a heartfelt announcement shared via Instagram on March 30, 2022.

His wife, Emma Heming Willis, ex-wife Demi Moore, and daughters Mabel Ray, 12, and Evelyn, 10, Rumer, 36, Scout, 33, and Tallulah, 30, released a joint statement on social media revealing that the “Die Hard” actor had been diagnosed with aphasia, a condition affecting his cognitive abilities.

The family shared that, due to this diagnosis, “Bruce is stepping away from the career that has meant so much to him.”

They acknowledged the challenges they were facing but expressed gratitude for the continued support, love, and compassion from fans, noting: “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.”

On February 16, 2023, Bruce’s family provided an update on his health, announcing his diagnosis of frontotemporal dementia (FTD), which they described as “the most common form of dementia,” and acknowledged that “there are no treatments for the disease” at present.

In their statement, the family wrote: “As Bruce’s condition advances, we hope that any media attention can be focused on shining a light on this disease that needs far more awareness and research.”

The family emphasized that “Bruce always believed in using his voice in the world to help others, and to raise awareness about important issues both publicly and privately.

They added, “We know in our hearts that – if he could today – he would want to respond by bringing global attention and a connectedness with those who are also dealing with this debilitating disease and how it impacts so many individuals and their families.”

In an Instagram post, Bruce’s wife, Emma, criticized a report suggesting her husband had lost all “joy” in life amid his health battle with dementia and aphasia.

The former model emphasized that the 68-year-old Hollywood icon still finds joy in his life, urging for a more nuanced understanding of the quality of life individuals can maintain while grappling with neurocognitive diseases.

In a video shared on her Instagram page, Emma asserted, “The headline says there is no more joy in my husband. Now, I can just tell you that is far from the truth. I need society and whoever’s writing these stupid headlines to stop scaring people.”

Bruce was diagnosed with aphasia in March 2022, with his family members confirming the sad news in a joint statement posted on their Instagram pages. Then, in January 2023, they shared an update announcing that the movie star had been further diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia.