Bruce Willis found innovative ways to continue working despite his diagnosis of frontotemporal dementia, according to his wife, Emma Heming Willis, in her upcoming book The Unexpected Journey. Set for release in September, the book is described as “not a memoir but under the category of self-help,” aiming to offer insight and support for others dealing with similar challenges.
Willis, who announced his dementia diagnosis in February 2023, had already retreated from the public eye a year earlier due to his declining health. However, Heming Willis reveals in her book that her husband managed to stay involved in projects like Assassin (2023) and the Detective Knight series (2022-23) by working with directors to reduce his dialogue and employing a trusted friend to feed him lines through an earpiece.
Despite his condition, which affects his speech, Willis’ deteriorating health wasn’t immediately apparent on set or on screen. Known for his slow speech pattern, which he had used to his advantage since childhood when he overcame a stutter, Willis’s challenges were not easily noticed by those around him.
Heming Willis, who has been her husband’s primary caregiver, shared on Instagram that she wrote the book to help others facing similar circumstances. She explained, “I really wrote the book that I wish someone had handed me the day we got our diagnosis with no hope, no direction … not much. Today life looks different for me and our family because I was able to put support into place.”
In addition to his iconic role in Die Hard, Willis has starred in a string of hit films, including Look Who’s Talking, The Sixth Sense, and Death Becomes Her. He first gained widespread fame in the early 1980s TV series Moonlighting, where he co-starred with Cybill Shepherd as private detectives David Addison and Maddie Hayes.
