Bruce Willis’ daughter Rumer shares rare comment amid Die Hard star’s dementia battle

Bruce Willis’ eldest daughter Rumer has publicly credited her dad for being her inspiration, as the Hollywood action legend’s condition continues to decline following his dementia diagnosis

Rumer Willis has publicly praised her dad, crediting him with giving her the inspiration to become an action star, like iconic Die Hard actor Bruce. The 70-year-old was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia (FTD) in 2023, with the action hero now “non-verbal” and requiring 24-hour care.

His tragic diagnosis was made just a year after he retired from acting after being diagnosed with language disorder aphasia, in March 2022. His family confirmed his disease had progressed to FTD, which has a typical life expectancy of between six and eight years, but can be as low as two years.

Bruce was married to actress Demi Moore, 62, between 1989 and 2000. They share three daughters, Rumer, 36, Scout, 33 and Tallulah, 31. The pair divorced, and Bruce remarried after meeting British model Emma Heming – they share two daughters, Mabel Ray, 12, and Evelyn Penn, 10.

Bruce’s eldest, Rumer, has revealed she is following in her dad’s footsteps by making the move into the action genre. In her new movie, Trail of Vengeance, she plays disgruntled widow Katherine Atherton, who is dead-set on revenge after her husband’s murder.

In a recent interview with People magazine, she said: “My dad is such an action man,” adding: “My mom’s done her fair share [of action] as well.” Rumer’s mum Demi starred in Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle and GI Jane – in which she played the titular character.

Rumer added: “I felt like a little kid when I found out I got [this role].” The movie is out now in cinemas.

Mother-of-one Rumer makes sure her two-year-old daughter Louetta spends as much time as possible with her dad while she still can. A source previously revealed: “Rumer wants to make sure Louetta knows Bruce.

“She wants him to be actively involved in Louetta’s life. It’s a very special bond. Rumer and her sisters love their dad so much. They are very conscious that any day could be his last.”

And his ex-wife Demi has also stepped up to make sure Bruce and their daughters are taken care of, despite their divorce. Speaking previously to Variety, the Substance star said: “We will always be a family, just in a different form.”

She added: “I’ve shared this before, but I really mean this so sincerely: It’s so important for anybody who’s dealing with this to really meet them where they’re at. And from that place, there is such loving and joy.”

Speaking about her ex’s diagnosis, Demi told Town & Country magazine: “Finally getting to a diagnosis was key so that I could learn what fronto­-temporal dementia is and I could educate our children. I’ve never tried to sugarcoat anything for them.

Sppeaking on CBS Sunday Morning in September she said: “The important thing is just to meet him where he’s at, as opposed to being attached to who he was, how he was. Because, again, that only just puts you in a place of loss versus being in the present, meeting him where he’s at, and finding the joy and the loving of just all that is where he is.”

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