Bruce Willis' family has announced that the veteran actor is to retire from his career following the diagnosis of the cognitive brain disorder known as aphasia.
The condition, which leads to the loss of ability to understand or express speech, was discovered after Willis had been having some health issues.
Taking to social media, his ex-wife Demi Moore and his children shared the same post across their accounts.
“To Bruce’s amazing supporters, as a family we wanted to share that our beloved Bruce has been experiencing some health issues and has recently been diagnosed with aphasia, which is impacting his cognitive abilities,” reads the statement. “As a result of this and with much consideration, Bruce is stepping away from the career that has meant so much to him.”
“This is a really challenging time for our family, and we are so appreciative of your continued love, compassion and support,” the family’s statement continues. "We are moving through this as a strong family unit, and wanted to bring his fans in because we know how much he means to you, as you do to him. As Bruce always says, ‘Live it up’ and together we plan to do just that."
The 67-year-old had been working in movies and TV for a while when he first gained attention as the charismatic David Addison opposite Cybil Shepherd's Maddie in romantic mystery drama series Moonlighting. Yet it was nabbing the lead in iconic action movie Die Hard that saw him become a star.
In the years that followed, he acted in a variety of blockbusters and worked with a swathe of directors, including M. Night Shyamalan, Quentin Tarantino and Terry Gilliam.
“I’m very saddened by this news,” Larry Gordon, producer of Die Hard and its 1990 sequel, told The Hollywood Reporter. “Bruce is a good friend and was fantastic to work with on Die Hard 1 and 2. They couldn’t be harder films for an actor to make and survive. He is the consummate pro and a gutsy guy.”