Bruce Willis’ daughter, Rumer, shares painful update after dementia diagnosis

Bruce Willis’ eldest daughter Rumer has admitted just how hard it’s been for her in the wake of his dementia diagnosis.

Bruce Willis at the premiere of Sin City: A Dame To Kill For. Picture: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

Bruce Willis’ eldest daughter Rumer has admitted she “really misses” her dad after he was diagnosed with dementia.

In February this year, Willis’ family — which includes his five daughters, wife and ex-wife — shared that Willis, now 68, had been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia (FTD).

That announcement came after they shared almost a year earlier that Willis had to step away from acting after being diagnosed with aphasia, a language disorder that impacts the part of the brain responsible for expression and comprehension.

Bruce Willis has been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia. Picture: Kevin Winter/Getty Images

On Tuesday, Rumer, the daughter of Willis and ex-wife Demi Moore, shared a throwback photo of her dad, captioning it: “Really missing my papa today”.

Her younger sister Tallulah responded: “Love you sister”.

Others took to the comments to offer their support.

Many shared their own experiences after a person in their life was diagnosed with dementia. According to the Alzheimer’s Society, many people experience grief before their loved one has passed due to the progressive and life-shortening nature of the illness.

“Really missing my papa today,” Rumer captioned the snap. Picture: Instagram.

“With dementia, grief begins so much earlier and lasts longer because you start grieving the loss before they are physically gone,” one commenter wrote.

“My dad had the same kind of dementia as your dear dad. Not hearing him talk and knowing his thoughts was so hard and impacted knowing where he was in the dementia journey. I am sending so many loving thoughts your family’s way.”

“Anticipatory grief is so difficult to process at times. I’m sorry,” wrote another.

A third shared: “I miss my brother. 47 with dementia and he’s sat right next to me.”

Bruce Willis with his wife, Emma Heming, and daughters, Rumer, Tallulah and Scout. Picture: Neilson Barnard/Getty Images For Comedy Central

Willis shares three daughters, Rumer, Tallulah and Scout, with ex-wife Moore.

He and his current wife, Emma Heming Willis, are parents to two girls, Mabel, 11, and Evelyn, 8.

Willis’ family has embarked on a campaign to raise awareness about FTD.

Tallulah recently discussed how easy it was to dismiss the early warning signs of the illness, explaining her family knew “something was wrong ... for a long time”.

“I’m trying ... to build a record for the day when he isn’t there,” his daughter Tallulah shared. Picture: Instagram

“I’ve known that something was wrong for a long time,” Tallulah told Vogue.

“It started out with a kind of vague unresponsiveness, which the family chalked up to Hollywood hearing loss: ‘Speak up! Die Hard messed with Dad’s ears.’ Later that unresponsiveness broadened, and I sometimes took it personally. He had had two babies with my stepmother, Emma Heming Willis, and I thought he’d lost interest in me. Though this couldn’t have been further from the truth.

“Every time I go to my dad’s house, I take tons of photos — of whatever I see, the state of things. I’m like an archaeologist, searching for treasure in stuff that I never used to pay much attention to. I have every voicemail from him saved on a hard drive. I find that I’m trying to document, to build a record for the day when he isn’t there to remind me of him and of us.”