Bruce Willis 'stepping away' from acting due to neurological disorder, family says
Actor Bruce Willis is "stepping away" from acting after being diagnosed with a neurological disorder, his family announced Wednesday.
The 67-year-old actor has been diagnosed with aphasia, according to a message posted on the Instagram page of his daughter, Rumer Willis.
Aphasia is a neurological disorder that impairs verbal and written communication.
"Our beloved Bruce has been experiencing some health issues and has recently been diagnosed with aphasia, which is impacting his cognitive abilities," Rumer Willis wrote. "As a result of this and with much consideration Bruce is stepping away from the career that has meant so much to him."
The message was signed by his wife Emma Heming, his ex-wife, actress Demi Moore, and his children Rumer, Scout, Tallulah, Mabel and Evelyn.
"People may not know that two million people in the United States are suffering from aphasia, and we can learn about what this is," neuroradiologist Dr. Suzie Bash told CBSLA.
Willis, known for iconic movies such as "Die Hard" "Pulp Fiction" and "The Sixth Sense," has had busy film slate of late, with several releases over the last few years, and several more in development. It's unclear if he will be retiring immediately.
According to The National Aphasia Association, a person with aphasia may have difficulty producing words but their intelligence is intact. The person's ideas, thoughts and knowledge are still in their head, but communicating those ideas, thoughts and knowledge is interrupted.
"Depending on which language center is affected, that will manifest in different ways in your difficulty with language," Bash said. "And it often will impact also your ability to read and write as well."
Bash said that most forms of aphasia come on suddenly due to injury. She added that it manifests slowly and worsens over months or even years.