Bruce Willis’s wife, Emma Heming Willis, has honored the Die Hard actor’s birthday by asking for donations to their new charity.
The 71-year-old actor’s family announced in 2023 that he had been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia (FTD), only a year after they said he was “stepping away” from acting because he had aphasia.
Just last week, Heming Willis announced the launch of the Emma & Bruce Willis Fund for Dementia Research and Caregiver Support, as part of her advocacy for dementia patients and caregivers. To celebrate Willis’s birthday, she shared a photo of him on Instagram as she promoted their new charity.
“Today we celebrate Bruce’s birthday. This journey with frontotemporal dementia (FTD) has opened my eyes to the realities so many families face,” the post’s caption began. “It’s what inspired me to create The Emma & Bruce Willis Fund to raise awareness of FTD, support research, and stand beside the caregivers who carry so much every day.”
The caption continued: “If you’d like to honor Bruce today, please consider supporting the fund or another organization working in this space, or simply checking in on a caregiver — a small act of kindness that can mean so much.”
Heming Willis, who has been married to Willis since 2009, frequently provides updates on her husband’s health while advocating for dementia research, a passion she has now expanded with the launch of the charity.
She announced the Emma & Bruce Willis Fund for Dementia Research and Caregiver Support last week while accepting the Susan Newhouse & Si Newhouse Award of Hope at The Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration's Hope Rising Benefit in New York City, according to People. She accepted the award on her and the actor’s behalf, and spoke about the last four years as his primary caregiver.
“This journey has opened my eyes to the realities so many families face when a loved one is living with frontotemporal dementia,” she said. “I believe deeply in the importance of supporting research while also showing up for the caregivers who carry so much every day.”
“Through this fund, my hope is to help deepen understanding of FTD and ensure families facing it feel seen, supported, and less alone. Bruce has always led with generosity and heart, and I know he would be proud to see this effort helping families facing this disease.”
The fund, housed by the Entertainment Industry Foundation, works to “confront frontotemporal dementia by raising awareness, funding promising research, and supporting caregivers,” according to its website.
Heming Willis, who shares two daughters, Mabel Ray, 13, and Evelyn Penn, 11, with Willis, gave an update on his condition in October 2025, telling NewsNation that he’s “doing OK, with a really unkind disease.”
