Bruce Willis’s daughter Scout thanks fans for ‘tenderness’ following father’s aphasia diagnosis

‘Die Hard’ star’s family announced he was ‘stepping away’ from acting

Bruce Willis’s daughter Scout has thanked fans for responding with “tenderness” to the announcement that her father is “stepping away” from acting.

On Wednesday (30 March), the Willis family announced that the Die Hard star had been “experiencing some health issues” that were “impacting his cognitive abilities”.

They explained that he had been diagnosed with aphasia, a form of brain damage that impairs language expression and comprehension. It leaves sufferers unable to communicate effectively and is often the result of a stroke.

“As a result of this and with much consideration Bruce is stepping away from the career that has meant so much to him,” they wrote.

“This is a really challenging time for our family and we are so appreciative of your continued love, compassion and support. 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.”

The statement is signed by Bruce’s wife Emma, his ex-partner Demi Moore and all of his children.

After the statement was released, the family received an outpouring of love from friends and fans.

Writing on her Instagram Stories, 30-year-old actor Scout wrote: “The exquisite outpouring of love that I am experiencing right now is just blowing me away.

“Thank you all for showing up with so much tenderness and stunning love for my daddio and my whole family!”

Scout thanked fans for their support (Scout Willis/Instagram)

She also posted a series of photos with Willis, which she captioned with the hashtag: “#VivaBruce.”

Willis came to prominence in the mid-1980s, with his role on television comedy-drama Moonlighting, alongside Cybill Shepherd, in which the pair played private detectives.

In 1988 Willis starred in the very first Die Hard film, which began a run of action hero roles, including 1991’s The Last Boy Scout, 1998’s Armageddon and a number of Die Hard sequels.

Since the early 2010s Willis has appeared mainly in direct-to-video films, with notable exceptions in Moonrise Kingdom and Looper.

His most recent film, the heist movie A Day To Die, was released earlier this month.