What is it? Willis family announced Thursday that his previous diagnosis of aphasia has progressed to frontotemporal dementia. The disease can cause issues with speaking and writing.
College of Health Solutions expert explains aphasia causes, treatment options. Bruce Willis news draws focus on aphasia, a disorder that affects speech.
Bruce Willis, the 67-year-old actor and star of classic action movies like Die Hard, is halting his acting career after being diagnosed with the language disorder aphasia.
What causes aphasia, and how is it treated? Bruce Willis' decision to end his acting career of more than four decades after a recent aphasia diagnosis has put a spotlight on the somewhat rare disorder. Aphasia describes a neurological condition that affects a person's ability to communicate verbally or through writing.
Bruce Willis
After dealing with health issues, the Die Hard star was diagnosed with aphasia, "which is impacting his cognitive abilities," Willis' family shared in March 2022.
Bruce Willis halts acting career after diagnosis with cognitive disorder. 'Die Hard' and 'Pulp Fiction' actor Bruce Willis ends his acting career after being diagnosed with aphasia, his family announces. In his aphasia battle, Willis is not alone.
After Bruce Willis' family announced in March 2022 that the 67-year old actor had been diagnosed with aphasia and would retire from acting, his condition has now progressed into frontotemporal dementia.
Bruce Willis is stepping away from acting after an aphasia diagnosis, his family said. Aphasia is a disorder that typically occurs after a stroke or brain injury, and it affects language. Other celebrities, including Emilia Clarke and Sharon Stone, have dealt with aphasia.
Aphasia: From Bruce Willis to Emilia Clarke, celebrities who've battled the same devastating condition. Aphasia can be an upsetting health condition that affects your speech or language skills, usually caused by damage to the left side of the brain (like a stroke).
Bruce Willis Retiring From Acting Following Aphasia Diagnosis - Variety.
Willis, famous for his roles in dozens of movies, including “Die Hard,” “Pulp Fiction,” “Looper” and “The Sixth Sense,” was diagnosed with aphasia in March 2022. This month, his family said he has progressed to frontotemporal dementia.
The condition causes loss of the ability to understand or express speech.
Bruce Willis displayed signs of cognitive issues, such as memory loss and confusion, on movie sets in the recent years leading up to his aphasia diagnosis and retirement from acting, filmmakers and co-stars say.
Einstein famously didn't start talking until he was 3 years old. Other famous late talkers include mathematical genius Ramanujan, a nobel prize winner (Gary Becker), a US talk show host (G. Gordon Liddy) and even Mussolini.
Less than a year after Bruce Willis' family shared that the famed actor had the neurological disorder aphasia, they've announced that his condition has progressed and that he has a new diagnosis: frontotemporal dementia.
Johnny Depp has never admitted having a stutter or a speech impediment despite many fans jumping to conclusions. He has never been diagnosed with a speech impediment however, he has admitted during his testimony that he is a shy and "introverted" person.
Some people with aphasia recover completely without treatment. But for most people, some amount of aphasia typically remains. Treatments such as speech therapy can often help recover some speech and language functions over time, but many people continue to have problems communicating.
Alberts noted there is no evidence the actor suffered a stroke or brain injury. “I suspect it's been gradually progressive over a number of months or maybe even years,” he said. Aphasia due to stroke or injury can often improve as the patient's brain makes new neural pathways and heals, Fisher said.
Mark McEwen, Bruce Willis, and Emilia Clarke have been open about their struggles with aphasia. Imagine yourself now: smart as a whip, but suddenly unable to share your thoughts or understand a loved one's words. That's aphasia, a cognitive condition that impairs the ability to understand or process language.
Depending on the severity of the stroke, aphasia may completely impair the ability to speak at all. Luckily, even if you can't speak after stroke, you might still be able to sing your words. That's because singing uses the more creative right side of the brain, while speaking is a left-brain function.
Outlook / Prognosis
Primary progressive aphasia worsens over time. Many people with PPA eventually lose their language skills over many years, limiting their ability to communicate. Most people who have the condition live up to 12 years after their initial diagnosis.
Even if recovery is slow, there's always hope. With the support of medical providers, speech-language therapists, family, and friends, people with aphasia can often have long, fulfilling lives.
"Knowing That No One Can Understand You Is the Worst Part"
Understandably, feelings of confusion and frustration are normal for people with aphasia. "They try to read something and can't recognize the words,” says Cherney.