NEWSBruce Willis Makes Rare Appearance to Happily Greet First Responders Amid L.A. Wildfires Despite Heartbreaking Dementia Diagnosis: Watch
Bruce Willis thanked first responders for their service.
Though Bruce Willis retreated from the spotlight in 2022 due to his dementia diagnosis, the actor took some time out of his day on Wednesday, January 15, to step out in California and express his appreciation to first responders who are working overtime amid the Los Angeles wildfires.
The actor's wife, Emma Heming Willis, shared a video of the encounter to her Instagram page.
Emma Heming Willis shared a video of Bruce Willis thanking first responders in L.A. amid his dementia diagnosis.
"Spotting a first responder, Bruce never missed a chance to show his gratitude with a heartfelt handshake and a 'thank you for your service,'" she captioned the black and white video. "Yesterday was no different ❤️🤍💙."
In the sweet clip, the dad-of-five, 69, appeared to be in a good mood as he shook hands and chatted with a local police officer. The movie star also snapped photos with the personnel, wearing a Yankees baseball cap, jacket, T-shirt and jeans.
The Die Hard star's daughter Tallulah Willis — whose mom is his ex-wife, Demi Moore — commented on the post, "This makes my heart so freaking full."
Fans also gushed over seeing Bruce out and about, with one person writing, "He really is an amazing human — nothing can take that from him. ❤️," while another raved, "Bruce looks so good!!!!! This makes my heart happy."
The clip marked a rare outing for the actor, who stepped back from the spotlight in 2022.
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Emma, 46, has been an open book about her husband's struggles, revealing their two daughters, Mabel, 12, and Evelyn, 10, are aware of his condition.
"This disease is misdiagnosed, it’s missed, it’s misunderstood, so finally getting to a diagnosis was key so that I could learn what frontotemporal dementia is and I could educate our children," she shared in an interview of how he was first diagnosed with aphasia.
The movie star and his wife share two daughters.
"I’ve never tried to sugarcoat anything for them," the model said of her kids. "They’ve grown up with Bruce declining over the years. I’m not trying to shield them from it."
"What I learned from our therapist was that if children ask questions, they’re ready to know the answer. If we could see that Bruce was struggling, I would address it with the kids so they could understand," she explained.
"But this disease is chronic, progressive, and terminal. There is no cure," the mom-of-two continued. "Obviously, I don’t like to speak about the terminal side of this with them, nor have they asked. They know that Daddy’s not going to get better."
The model revealed she sometimes feels 'anger' and 'grief' because of the actor's condition.
In December 2024, Emma marked their anniversary with a throwback photo on social media, but she confessed the milestone isn't all rainbows and butterflies.
"17 years of us ❤️ Anniversaries used to bring excitement — now, if I’m honest, they stir up all the feelings, leaving a heaviness in my heart and a pit in my stomach," she spilled. "I give myself 30 minutes to sit in the ‘why him, why us,’ to feel the anger and grief. Then I shake it off and return to what is. And what is… is unconditional love. I feel blessed to know it, and it’s because of him. I’d do it all over again and again in a heartbeat 💞."
