As Bruce Willis approaches his 69th birthday on March 19, his family braces for a painful goodbye to the man who’s slowly surrendering to his progressing condition.
Now challenged by decreased appetite and severe weight loss, family and friends are “cherishing every last moment with him,” aware that “this could be his last birthday.”
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Keep reading to learn why a family friend says, “this is a sad situation…”
In 2023, Bruce Willis was seen playfully enjoying his 68th birthday, joining in on the family chorus of “Happy Birthday.”
In a video uploaded to social media by Willis’ ex-wife, Demi Moore, on Sunday, March 19, the family can be seen singing “Happy Birthday” to him. The Hollywood heavyweight could be heard speaking with his family, 44-year-old Emma Heming Willis and his three daughters, Rumer, 35, Scout, 32 and Tallulah, 30, before blowing out his candles.
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“Happy birthday, BW! So glad we could celebrate you today. Love you and love our family,” gushed ex-wife Demi Moore, who posted the fun clip on her Instagram.
This was his first public appearance since the world learned he was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia.
‘Extremely anxious’
Things have changed drastically over the past year.
Reports reveal that the family is “extremely anxious” about the weight loss and decreased appetite of the Die Hard star, who is now living in a deteriorated state.
Speaking with In Touch, a source shares that “he doesn’t express hunger much,” explaining that his weight and decreased appetite are signs of a downward slope.
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“According to family members, the challenge at home is making sure that he’s getting enough to eat, that he’s not skipping mealtime, and that his diet is filled with foods that have the chance to improve his health instead of subtract from it…This is a sad situation that should be familiar to anybody who is dealing with a close family member with dementia or Alzheimer’s.”
The insider further says his acuity is waning and adds, “He can’t communicate anymore, and he has difficulty recognizing people.”
Confirming that claim, Glenn Gordon reveals that his close friend, the star of Sixth Sense, is in decline: “He’s not totally verbal; he used to be a voracious reader – he didn’t want anyone to know that – and he’s not reading now.” Gordon, who tries to see Willis at least once a month, continues, “All those language skills are no longer available to him.”
‘Far from the truth’
Meanwhile, Emma, saying she’s “triggered,” strikes back at the authors behind the “blurbs of misinformation,” claiming “there is no more joy in my husband.”
On March 2, Emma, the award-winning actor’s biggest champion, shares an Instagram post about the “negative narrative around dementia.” In her caption, she writes “My experience is that two things can be true and exist at the same time. Grief and deep love. Sadness and deep connection. Trauma and resilience.”
In the clip, she then clarifies, “I can just tell you, that is far from the truth. A hundred percent, there is grief and sadness, there’s all of that. But you start a new chapter…it’s filled with love, it’s filled with connection, it’s filled with joy, it’s filled with happiness.”
Though she did not name the outlet that published the damning information, she said: “I need society and whoever is writing these stupid headlines to stop scaring people, stop scaring people to think that once they get a diagnosis of some kind of neurocognitive disease, that that’s it, it’s over.”
‘Could be his last birthday’
His 69th birthday might look very different as family members are bracing for an emotional goodbye.
“Everybody’s staying positive about Bruce’s future and hopeful that he finds some kind of comfortable plateau or even, God willing, shows signs of improvement,” says the insider, adding that family members are dedicated to spending as much time with him as they can.
“They know being in the presence of his family seems to bring him a lot of comfort, so that is what they focus on. No matter how much time Bruce has left, they want him to be surrounded by love and happiness.”
And when the Pulp Fiction star turns 69 on March 19, 2024, Emma, Moore and his five daughters will be celebrating his life.
“Those who love Bruce want to cherish every last moment with him. They all realize this could be his last birthday.” The source adds about his daughters, “they’re taking as many photos and videos as possible.”
