LOS ANGELES - Actor Bruce Willis' wife is giving the public an update on his health as he battles aphasia, more specifically frontotemporal dementia.
Emma Heming Willis recently spoke with ABC News' Diane Sawyer for an upcoming special, airing Tuesday night.
What they're saying:
"Bruce is still very mobile. Bruce is in really great health overall, you know," she said. "It's just his brain that is failing him."
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"The language is going, and, you know, we've learned to adapt," she added. "And we have a way of communicating with him, which is just a ... different way."
But Heming has pointed out some highlights.
"Not days, but we get moments," Heming explained to Sawyer. "It's his laugh, right? Like, he has such, like, a hearty laugh. And, you know, sometimes you'll see that twinkle in his eye, or that smirk, and, you know, I just get, like, transported."
The backstory:
In 2022, Bruce stepped away from acting after being diagnosed with aphasia, a condition that causes loss of the ability to understand or express speech.
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The news about Willis, one of Hollywood's most beloved actors, immediately spread online as fans reacted. His four-decade career has amassed more than $5 billion in box office worldwide.
Willis had been working steadily and frequently. Renowned for films like "Die Hard," "Pulp Fiction" and "The Sixth Sense," Willis has in recent years churned out straight-to-video thrillers. Last year, he starred in a staggering eight films. Most came and went quietly, including titles like "Cosmic Sin," "Out of Death" and "Deadlock."
Most recently, Willis starred in February's "Gasoline Alley" and "A Day to Die," released in early March. Willis has already shot at least six more films due out in 2022 and 2023, including "Die Like Lovers," "Corrective Measures" and "The Wrong Place."
Dig deeper:
The Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration describes FTD as a group of brain disorders caused by degeneration of the frontal and/or temporal lobes of the brain that affects behavior, language and movement.
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Aphasia can be a symptom of it.
The association describes frontotemporal degeneration as "an inevitable decline in functioning," with an average life expectancy of seven to 13 years after the onset of symptoms.