"No Cure Yet... Please Pay Attention to the Disease"
The exact diagnosis of Bruce Willis (67), a representative American action star who retired due to aphasia, has been revealed as dementia. It is currently reported that Willis is having difficulty communicating.
On the 16th, US CNN cited a statement from Willis's family, reporting, "Bruce Willis has been diagnosed with Frontotemporal dementia (FTD)."
The family stated, "Unfortunately, Willis is struggling with communication," but added, "It is painful, but we are relieved to finally have a clear diagnosis. Although there is no cure yet, we hope this disease will receive much attention and that a treatment will be found through future research."
Previously, Willis was diagnosed with aphasia in March last year and announced his retirement from the Hollywood film industry. The specific diagnosis of dementia was confirmed about a year later.
FTD, which Willis is suffering from, occurs due to damage to the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain. As symptoms worsen, judgment becomes impaired, and changes in personality and behavior may occur. Language problems can also arise.
Meanwhile, Willis began his acting career on the Broadway stage, the center of theater in New York, in the 1970s. In the 1980s, he built his acting career by appearing in the TV drama "Moonlighting."
He gained public recognition by starring in a series of worldwide hits such as Die Hard (1987), The Fifth Element (1997), and Armageddon (1998). Especially, his role as New York detective John McClane in Die Hard instantly elevated him to a leading American action star.
Having received prestigious film awards such as the Golden Globe and Emmy Awards, he was also inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2006. His virtually final work before retirement, Detective Knight, was released in the US last October and domestically on the 8th of this month. In this film, he played a detective who rushes around for a colleague who died in a robbery incident.
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