Bruce Willis Is 'Not Totally Verbal' as Dementia Takes Over Ailing Actor's Life, 'Moonlighting' Creator Reveals

Bruce Willis might be suffering from the effects of his frontotemporal dementia diagnosis, but his friends and family still know he's the same guy they love at heart.

As the award-winning actor's health declines, his loved ones and closest pals have tried to stay connected to the Bruce they have always known.

This became one of the main reasons his dear friend Glenn Gordon Caron worked to get Moonlighting put on Hulu. As the creator of the series, Caron felt the ABC comedic drama could shine a light on Willis during the proudest moments of his fame — especially since it has become increasingly hard for him to communicate.

During a recent interview, Caron, 69, confessed Willis, 68, is "not totally verbal" as the neurological disorder continues to attack his body, though the Emmy-winning producer said he can still feel Willis' appreciation without any words.

"I know he’s really happy that the show is going to be available for people, even though he can’t tell me that," Caron, who tries to visit Willis monthly, explained to news publication. "When I got to spend time with him we talked about it and I know he’s excited."

"The process [to get Moonlighting onto Hulu] has taken quite a while and Bruce’s disease is a progressive disease, so I was able to communicate with him, before the disease rendered him as incommunicative as he is now, about hoping to get the show back in front of people," he continued, noting, "I know it means a lot to him."

Regarding their current friendship, Caron detailed: "I’m not always quite that good, but I try and I do talk to him and his wife [Emma Heming Willis, 45] and I have a casual relationship with his three older children [Rumer, 35, Scout, 32, and Tallulah, 29]."

"I have tried very hard to stay in his life. He’s an extraordinary person. The thing that makes [his disease] so mind-blowing is [that] if you’ve ever spent time with Bruce Willis, there is no one who had any more joie de vivre than he. He loved life and … just adored waking up every morning and trying to live life to its fullest," Caron expressed. "So the idea that he now sees life through a screen door, if you will, makes very little sense. He’s really an amazing guy."

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Caron detailed what a visit to Willis typically looks like, stating: "My sense is the first one to three minutes he knows who I am. He’s not totally verbal; he used to be a voracious reader — he didn’t want anyone to know that — and he’s not reading now. All those language skills are no longer available to him, and yet he’s still Bruce."

"When you’re with him you know that he’s Bruce and you’re grateful that he’s there, but the joie de vivre is gone," he concluded.

The New York Post interviewed Caron about Willis.