LOS ANGELES — As Bruce Willis celebrated his 69th birthday, his loved ones shared new photos and heartfelt messages for the actor.
Willis was diagnosed last year with frontotemporal dementia.
Willis' ex-wife Demi Moore, with whom he has three daughters, shared a carousel of three photos, including a shot where Moore and Willis are holding hands as they sit on a chair together. Other photos include Willis with a huge smile playing with his granddaughter Louetta, and a throwback image of the actor with his kids, Rumer, Scout and Tallulah.
"Happy birthday, BW! We love you and are so grateful for you," Moore captioned the post.
Rumer Willis, Bruce and Demi's eldest daughter, shared a slideshow of photos and a happy birthday message to her father on social media as well.
"Oh Daddio, to be loved by you is such a gift. You are the funniest, most tender, charming, out of this world silly talented and magical papa. Looking through these photos this morning I am just filled with the deepest gratitude that we chose to spend this life together," she said alongside a number of baby pictures and more recent photos. "I am your first baby and man sometimes I wish I could be tiny enough to just cozy up on your chest again and laugh and cuddle you. I love you so deep in my bones I don’t know how my muscles hold them."
Willis' daughter Scout chimed in with her own message, adding, "Wild how so little has changed even though so much has changed."
"My dad is one of my best friends, perhaps now on a deeper level than ever honestly. I cherish his affection and the immense freedom with which he’s always loved us," she continued. "Any words I use would be woefully inadequate. So instead I want to say thank you for loving my papa, thank you for sharing your stories of what he means to you, it’s such a gift to feel your love. Happy happy birthday to the GOAT."
Willis' current wife, Emma Heming Willis, also shared an emotional note on Instagram.
"Just like you, we simply adore him. What you might not know, but maybe you could imagine, that being wrapped in his arms is the safest place in this whole wide world. He’s a true gentle-man. With so much love to give and share," she wrote. "That’s what I get to see, his true core. I can tell you, it’s so pure and ever so good. Happy Birthday my love. You are the gift that keeps giving."
What is frontotemporal dementia?
According to the Mayo Clinic website, frontotemporal dementia "is an umbrella term for a group of brain disorders that primarily affect the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain."
While dementia mostly impacts people over the age of 65, frontotemporal dementia tends to start at a younger age with most cases diagnosed in people between 45-65 years old, according to the U.K. National Health System.
