It is a celebratory, albeit bittersweet week for Bruce Willis and his family.
On Wednesday, March 19, the Die Hard actor celebrated a milestone birthday, just over three years after his family first disclosed his aphasia diagnosis, which was later corrected to a frontotemporal dementia (FTD) diagnosis.
The beloved Hollywood veteran is a dad of five; he shares daughters Mabel Ray and Evelyn Penn with wife Emma Heming, who he married in 2009, and daughters Rumer, Scout and Tallulah with ex-wife Demi Moore, who is still very much part of his life.
In honor of the special day, the Willis women took to Instagram with sweet tributes. Rumer shared a heart-warming video of Bruce and Demi dancing around, and wrote: "To the King… I love you Daddio."
The day prior, as she did a Q&A on her Instagram Stories, she was asked how her dad was doing, and maintained: "He is doing great, thank you for asking," noting: "So please wish my papa a big happy birthday."
The celebrations continued with Scout, who shared a round of photos of Bruce through the years, and wrote: "Happy birthday to the greatest of all time."
© Getty Images for goopShe went on: "Every day I thank the Gods that 50% of my DNA is from him. The music I make, the magic I create, and the magnetic mischief I incite, that's my father's legacy alive in the world."
In her own post, Tallulah reflected: "This is my Dad. Throughout my childhood I was so frequently asked what it was like to have capital B Bruce Willis as a dad, that somehow these people thought that when they saw him jump off buildings via a 20ft screen he remained EXTRA LARGE."
© Instagram"He's a person, a man, a son, a kid from Jersey who hit the mother [expletive] jackpot of life by the stroke of luck he couldn't even explain," she continued, adding: "And I love this Jersey boy, who combed my hair in baths, and always made sure I [laid] a towel down before eating on his bed, and is known far and wide as the Corn Cake King to our safe circle of intimates."
© Pacific Press/LightRocket via GeShe concluded: "For years I would get red in the face when people found out my 'full' name. But, I'm pretty damn proud to be Tallulah Belle Bruce Willis."
© InstagramSince his FTD diagnosis, Bruce's family has spoken candidly about the ins and outs of the disease, particularly his wife Emma, who has become a steadfast advocate for both those battling it and those tasked as caretakers.
The MakeTime Wellness founder opened up about her husband's diagnosis and her ongoing commitment to the FTD community in a piece for Maria Shriver's newsletter The Sunday Paper back in 2023, in which she wrote: "As hard as it was to come forward about Bruce's FTD diagnosis, I knew I needed to raise my voice to bring awareness to this disease," emphasizing: "The world needs to know that not all dementia is Alzheimer's and that not all dementia impacts memory."
