Bruce Willis thanks LA first responders in rare public appearance
American actor Bruce Willis attends CocoBaba and Ushopal activity on November 4, 2019 in Shanghai, China. (Photo by VCG/VCG via Getty Images)
Bruce Willis was seen talking with first responders amid the deadly Los Angeles area wildfires in what may be his first public appearance since he was diagnosed with dementia in 2022.
An Instagram video shared by his wife, Emma Heming Willis, shows Willis outside shaking hands and talking with first responders who were stationed at road closure signs. According to a 2023 report from Hello Magazine, Willis lives with Emma and his two daughters at a home in Brentwood Park.
"Spotting a first responder, Bruce never missed a chance to show his gratitude with a heartfelt handshake and a ‘thank you for your service,’" his wife posted on Instagram. "Yesterday was no different."
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"This makes my heart so freaking full," Tallulah Willis, Bruce's youngest daughter, whom he shares with ex-wife Demi Moore, wrote in a comment (@buuski) under Emma's post.
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What is Bruce Willis diagnosed with?
According to People, the video posted by his wife appears to be the first time Willis has been seen in public since 2022, when he was first diagnosed with aphasia and stepped away from acting.
In early 2023, his family announced that Willis had been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia, an untreatable disease and the most common form of dementia in people under 60. The disease, known as FTD, is a progression of aphasia.
RELATED: Bruce Willis diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia, condition worsens
Aphasia is a language disorder caused by damage to an area of the brain that controls language expression and comprehension, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine.