"This is a truly challenging time for our family and we greatly appreciate your continued love, compassion and support," the actor's family said in a statement posted on Wednesday.
His family said in a statement posted on social media that Bruce Willis is "walking away" from his acting career after suffering aphasia, which leads to a loss of the ability to understand or express speech.
"To Bruce's wonderful supporters, as a family we wanted to share that our beloved Bruce is experiencing some health issues and has recently been diagnosed with aphasia, which is affecting his cognitive abilities. is," read the statement. "As a result of this and with a lot of thought, Bruce is walking away from a career that means a lot to him."
The 67-year-old film star is best known for playing John McClain in the iconic Die Hard franchise. The original 1988 film made Willis a film and action star, as he was primarily known as a comedic TV actor, most notably in the series Moonlighting (1985–89).
Willis has starred in blockbuster films such as The Fifth Element (1997), Armageddon (1998), and The Sixth Sense (1999). Other classics by Willis include The Last Boy Scout (1991), Death Beams Her (1992), Pulp Fiction (1994) and 12 Monkeys (1995).
“This is a truly challenging time for our family, and we greatly appreciate your continued love, compassion and support. We are moving through this as a stronger family unit, and we want to bring fans Because we know how much he means to you as much as you do to him. As Bruce always says, 'Live at it' and together we plan to do so. Love, Emma, Demi, Rumer, Scout, Tallulah, Mabel and Evelyn.
As soon as the news broke, Willis was immediately trending on social media, as fans were sharing their disbelief and sadness at the development.