Bruce Willis retires from acting due to aphasia

Known for “Die Hard” and “Sixth Sense,” Hollywood star Bruce Willis, 67, declared his retirement from the film industry, reported Associated Press News on Wednesday (local time).

Demi Moore, an actress who is Willis’ ex-wife, Emma Heming Willis, a fashion model and his current wife, and his five children issued a statement on social media on Wednesday, according to the news. “Bruce has been experiencing some health issues and has recently been diagnosed with aphasia, which is impacting his cognitive abilities,” wrote his family. “We are moving through this as a strong family unit.”

Aphasia causes issues in the left brain, deteriorating lingual capabilities to make it hard to communicate normally. Patients with aphasia have difficulty understanding linguistic information and using languages due to language processing issues in the brain. It is not known how serious his status is and what caused him to develop this disease. “It often occurs after a stroke or head injury but can also develop gradually due to a slow-growing brain tumor or a disease that causes degenerative damage, like Alzheimer’s disease,” the news said.

Willis' struggle with stuttering dates back when he was young. He became a play actor in his high school to stop a stutter. Starting a Broadway career in the 1970s, Willis became famous for TV series “Moonlighting” in the 1980s.

“Die Hard” released in 1988 by John McTiernan marked a milestone in his acting career, brining him to worldwide fame overnight. The global action star created a heroic character of John McClane, a light-hearted NYPD officer who “dies hard” to beat up villains in the five episodes of the series.

Acting in more than 130 films, Willis grew as a well-received movie star with many big hits including “Armageddon,” “The Fifth Element,” “Sixth Sense” and “Sin City.” In recognition of his acting talents, he received the Golden Globes and Emmy Awards. Back in 2006, he gained his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

“We know how much he means to you, as you do to him,” Willis’ family posted., “As Bruce always says, ‘Live it up,’ and together we plan to do just that.”


Seong-Mo Kim mo@donga.com