Bruce Willis suffers from frontotemporal dementia

NEW YORK (AP) — Nearly a year after Bruce Willis’ family announced he would retire after being diagnosed with aphasia, relatives say the actor’s illness “has progressed.” .

In a statement released Thursday, relatives of the 67-year-old actor said Willis had a more specific diagnosis of frontotemporal dementia.

“Even if it is painful. It is a relief to finally have a clear diagnosis,” the statement read. “Frontotemporal dementia is a cruel disease that many of us have never heard of and it can affect anyone.”

Willis’ family said last March that his aphasia had affected his cognitive abilities. The disease results in a loss of the ability to understand or express oneself through speech.

In Thursday’s statement, they said communication problems were just a symptom of frontotemporal dementia.

“Currently, there is no cure for the disease. A reality that we hope can change in the years to come,” the statement read. “As Bruce’s condition progresses, we hope that all of the media attention will be focused on bringing to light this disease that needs more awareness and research.”

The statement was posted on the website of the disease organization The Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration and is signed by Willis’ wife Emma Heming Willis, his ex-wife Demi Moore and their five daughters Rumer, Scout, Tallulah, Mabel and Evelyne.