Emma Heming Willis, Bruce Willis’ wife and caregiver, 46, is speaking out about Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa’s devastating deaths and calling for more for those who spend their lives looking after others.

The model, who has turned to advocacy for frontotemporal dementia awareness after her husband’s diagnosis in 2023, took to Instagram to comment on the recent news, which shook Hollywood to its core. “This is not something I would normally comment on,” Willis began in the social media video posted Monday, adding, “But I do really believe that there is some learning in this story.” The 46-year-old then went on to explain how the deaths of The French Connection actor and his wife highlighted how “caregivers need care too.”

Hackman, 95, and Arakawa, 65, married since 1991, were found dead in their home in Santa Fe, New Mexico, on Feb. 26. An investigation concluded that the wife had likely been dead for longer than the husband, succumbing to a respiratory disease known as hantavirus pulmonary syndrome. The twice-Oscar-winning actor had been suffering from Alzheimer’s, leading authorities to conclude that he was neither fully aware that Arakawa was gone nor capable of calling for help before dying of severe heart disease.

What’s more shocking is that the 65-year-old is estimated to have been dead for two weeks when they were finally found by a maintenance worker and a security guard, while Hackman’s pacemaker suggests he died a week after his wife. Despite the actor having three children, no one ed to check on the couple — Arakawa Hackman’s sole caregiver.

Although Willis seems to have more than the late pianist — Bruce’s ex-wife Demi Moore herself continuing to be very present in his life — she’s dedicated to advocating for all caregivers, whose plight can often be overlooked. “[Caregivers] are vital,” she continued. “It’s so important that we show up for them so that they can continue to show up for their person.”

The model argued that there’s a “common misconception” that informal caregivers have “got it figured out” and have “got it covered.” “I don’t subscribe to that,” Willis concluded. On Feb. 22, she celebrated National Caregivers Day with another Instagram post asking that systems “stop saying ‘Let me know if there is anything I can do to help,’ and start saying ‘Here’s how I can help.’”

Emma and Bruce, 69, share two daughters (Mabel, 12, and Evelyn, 10)  from a marriage celebrated in 2009 and have been together since 2007. In Mar. 2022, the Willis family announced that the Die Hard actor had been diagnosed with the language disorder aphasia and was retiring, but nearly one year later they found he was also suffering from dementia. The model has been vocal about how advocacy helped her regain control of her life after the distressing development and will publish her first book, The Unexpected Journey: Finding Hope and Purpose on the Caregiving Path, later this year.

A UK study published in 2020 concluded that “almost half, 43.7%, of caregivers reported moderate loneliness and 17.7% reported severe loneliness,” while in America “40% to 70% of family caregivers have clinically significant symptoms of depression,” per the Family Caregiver Alliance. Alzheimer’s or dementia caregivers are especially likely to struggle with mental health.

Thankfully, much like Willis, there are many people fighting for this scenario to change. The Family Caregiver Alliance has a helpful list of the Top 17 Resources for Family Caregivers “as rated by the family caregivers [they’ve]served for more than 40 years.” We will need or have all needed care at one point or another in our lives — let’s make sure those who must dedicate most of their time to providing it are being looked after too!

As many watched Die Hard over the holidays (and debated whether it’s really a Christmas movie), no one can forget the struggles Bruce Willis and his family have faced over the last few years. Now his wife Emma Heming Willis has shared a beautiful and devastating Instagram post to celebrate their 17th anniversary.

Heming Willis posted a picture of her and her husband on the beach and wrote that although anniversaries were once about “excitement,” now these celebratory occasions “stir up all the feelings.” She wrote, “I give myself 30 minutes to sit in the ‘why him, why us,’ to feel the anger and grief.” Then she explained that their relationship is all about “unconditional love,” which is what she always re. Heming Willis added, “I’d do it all over again and again in a heartbeat” (and now everyone is sobbing).

Heming Willis has talked about how tough life has been since her husband’s frontotemporal dementia diagnosis. After the Willis family explained that he had aphasia in 2022, they learned it was FTD.

According to People, the couple got married in 2009, and had their daughters Evelyn Penn and Mabel Ray in 2014 and 2012. Dr. Gregg Day told NBC News, “Difficulty with language and understanding, as well as misinterpreting instructions could be symptoms of FTD.” The diagnosis is such a gut punch because people don’t recover from it. It’s possible that someone can live for two years once they have received the diagnosis, but they could also survive over a decade with it.

However, Willis and Heming Willis shared many happy years together before Willis got sick, and her anniversary post is a beautiful reminder that they are still finding love and happiness with each other. Anyone who is ing a partner through a chronic illness can unfortunately and tragically relate to this challenging experience where two things are true at once. While you cherish the time you have with your loved one, you also can’t help but think about how different life is now. For Willis, that also meant that he no longer acts, which is just one of the many upsetting parts of this condition.

In an interview with Town and Country Magazine, Heming Willis talked about letting her daughters know about what was going on. She said, “I’ve never tried to sugarcoat anything for them. They’ve grown up with Bruce declining over the years.” She also proved that she is honoring who Willis is when she explained, “I’m not going to allow FTD to take our whole family down. Bruce wouldn’t want that.”

Heming Willis shared in her Town and Country interview that Willis’s daughters are always behind her and lend an ear when she wants to talk about what’s going on.

Although of course it’s heart wrenching to her about Willis’s condition, it has been beautiful to see how much his family cares about him. Heming Willis shares pieces of their family life on her Instagram , along with videos and photos of her husband. She has also become an advocate for those struggling with FTD. In 2023, she created the supplement brand Make Time Wellness, which has powders and vitamins that women can take to help their brains. As the holiday season wraps up and people reflect on good times spent with family, Heming Willis’s message is a reminder that we can all appreciate the “unconditional love” we have in our lives.

Demi Moore has shared a bittersweet update on her ex-husband, Bruce Willis’ present medical situation, calling it a mix of “great loss” and “great beauty.”

The 62-year-old actress reflected on the former Hollywood action star’s fight with aphasia and frontotemporal dementia (FTD) while promoting her new film, The Substance, in a recent interview with CNN. Moore confessed that Willis’ condition is so harrowing she wouldn’t “wish [it] upon anyone.”

After acknowledging the toll the illness has taken on the 69-year-old retired actor and his loved ones, Moore shared that she’s still optimistic about everything. “There is great loss, but there is also great beauty and gifts that can come from it,” she said.

According to her, though Willis’ struggles are “very difficult,” there’s still reason to be happy since he is, for the most part, “in a very stable place at the moment … given the givens.”

“It’s so important for anybody who’s dealing with this to really meet them where they’re at. And from that place, there is such loving and joy,” she added.

The Red actor was first diagnosed with aphasia in March 2022, then with FTD six months later. According to the Mayo Clinic, FTD is an umbrella term for brain diseases affecting the frontal and temporal parts of the brain, causing abnormalities in personality, behavior, and language.

On the other hand, aphasia is a disorder affecting one’s ability to communicate either in written or spoken language. Considering that FTD affects the part of the brain controlling language or communication, the condition has been tied to aphasia as one of its causes. In Willis’ case, his main condition is FTD, and its manifestation is aphasia.

Since the Willis family announced the actor’s diagnosis and retirement from the industry in spring 2022, all of the , including Moore, have been very ive of him in his battle against dementia.

Moore, who was married to the Die Hard star from 1987 to 2000, has three daughters with the actor — Rumor, 36, Scout, 33, and Tallulah, 30. Meanwhile, Willis’ present wife, Emma Heming, has two daughters with him — Mabel, 12, and Evelyn, 10. Both Moore and Heming decided to blend their families in the wake of Willis’ health struggles.

In October 2024, Moore shared her honest thoughts on her ex-husband’s decline at the Hamptons International Film Festival. She also assured the audience that Willis was in stable condition.

“You know, I’ve said this before. The disease is what the disease is. And I think you have to be in real deep acceptance of what that is. But for where he’s at, he is stable,” she was quoted as saying at the event by People. “When you’re holding on to what was, I think it’s a losing game.”

Heming has also accepted her husband’s condition, telling Town & Country in the same month that she’s “not trying to shield” her daughters from seeing their dad’s health decline for them to accept and better handle the situation.

Since FTD does not have a known cure, both Moore and Heming appear to focus on cherishing the remaining moments they have with Willis. Just like what the Ghost actress recently said, there is still beauty to behold even in the face of loss.

In March 2022, the world was surprised to find out that beloved action movie star Bruce Willis would be retiring from the industry, but most shocking of all was the reason why. Willis was diagnosed with aphasia, a disorder that can result from a traumatic head injury or stroke, and which greatly impacts one’s ability to communicate and understand language. In the wake of the revelation, the Golden Raspberry Awards rightfully retracted the ignoble award they’d attributed him for his final performance because it would be blatantly unfair, if not downright insensitive, to give a Razzie to an actor whose performance was affected by a medical condition that’s obviously outside of their control.

Earlier this year, in Feb. 2023, another saddening news came out regarding the Die Hard actor’s health: Willis was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia, a less common form of the disease. Although, unlike Alzheimer’s, FTD does not affect memory as much, it can affect behavior, personality, communication capabilities, attention, and some physical faculties.

More recently, both his wife and dedicated caretaker, Emma Heming Willis, as well as Glenn Gordon Caron, creator of the 1980s series Moonlighting (which has recently been added to the streamer Hulu), have commented on Willis’ health and how he’s been doing.

Bruce Willis’ latest 2023 health update

On Sept. 25, Emma Hemming Willis bravely went on Today to give an exclusive interview. Although she has spoken on her social media about her and her family’s struggles and challenges in dealing with her husband’s condition, this is the first time that Willis’ wife went on TV to offer her first-hand perspective on the situation and what it’s like to be there for someone suffering from the progressive disease. Hemming Willis was ed on the couch by Susan Dickinson, one of the best people to speak on the subject of frontotemporal dementia as she is the CEO of The Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration.

Regarding the couple’s two young daughters, Evelyn and Mabel, and how they have been facing the situation as a family, Hemming Willis commendably said:

“The most important thing was to be able for us to say what the disease was, explain what it is, ‘cause when you know what the disease is from a medical standpoint, it sort of all makes sense. So, it was important that we let them know what it is because I don’t want there to be any stigma or shame attached to their dad’s diagnosis or for any form of dementia.”

With there not being enough awareness or open humane discussion about the true nature of dementia, Hemming Willis is not only advocating on behalf of her husband but also for millions of people who have to live with the disease as well as their families who are also unavoidably affected. According to her, it is “hard to know” what Willis’ perception of his own condition is, and whether he even understands everything that’s going on.

Speaking with The New York Post, Glenn Gordon Caron referred to a conversation he had with the actor a while back about the 1980s ABC series Moonlighting. The director said that he could tell Willis was excited about the series’ revival with its addition to the streaming service. Since they spoke about it, Willis has become less and less communicative, something Caron, who tries to pay the actor a visit at least once a month, is also able to ascertain.

He told the outlet: “The thing that makes [his disease] so mind-blowing is [that] if you’ve ever spent time with Bruce Willis, there is no one who had any more joie de vivre than he. He loved life and … just adored waking up every morning and trying to live life to its fullest.”

In the end, Caron also added that, although Willis is “still Bruce,” and one can be grateful for that, “the joie de vivre is gone.”

Due to nature’s indiscriminately cruel hand, something of Willis has been lost, however, his impact on the world and our collective memories cannot be forgotten. One need only look back on the actor’s career, with over a hundred movie titles to his name, to renew their faith in the fact that this is a man who is larger than his disease, no matter how advanced it gets.

Regardless of whether he’s away from the cameras and the public eye, Bruce has and will continue to have an unequivocal place in the hearts of many. As his partner stated towards the end of the aforementioned TV interview: “He’s the gift that keeps on giving. Love, patience, resilience… so much. […] You know, [for] me to be out here doing this, this is not my comfort zone, but this is the power of Bruce.”