Bruce Willis's family has confirmed plans to donate the actor's brain to scientific research after his death, hoping the decision will help researchers better understand frontotemporal dementia (FTD) - the disease that ended his acting career in 2022.
The 71-year-old "Die Hard" star was first diagnosed with aphasia in 2022, a diagnosis that progressed to FTD the following year. His wife, Emma Heming Willis, his ex-wife Demi Moore, and his five daughters have united behind the decision, which Emma has described as "emotionally difficult but scientifically necessary."
FTD remains the most common form of dementia among adults under 60, and there is currently no cure. Postmortem brain tissue gives researchers a rare window into how the disease alters the brain at a cellular level - information that's difficult to gather any other way.
Emma has continued to advocate publicly for FTD awareness, including through the Emma & Bruce Willis Frontotemporal Dementia Research and Caregiver Support Fund, which supports both scientific studies and caregivers navigating the disease. After a recent clinical trial for FTD treatment ended without success, Emma called the news a "gut punch" but urged researchers to keep going, writing, "Don't give up on this loving community."
