The world drew a collective sigh of sadness when it was confirmed that Bruce Willis would be retiring from acting last year after being diagnosed with aphasia.
Among other things, the condition reportedly impaired his ability to communicate, making it increasingly difficult for the actor to work on set.
Willis withdrew from the public limelight to be with his family, while fans around the world prayed for an improvement in his health.
Sadly, an update from his family earlier this year dealt a decisive blow when they confirmed that his condition had worsened and had ultimately led to a diagnosis of frontotemporal dementia.
Needless to say, the diagnosis came as a shock to Bruce’s loved ones, as well as thousands across the globe. Those nearest and dearest to him have been lending their support in all manner of ways over the last few weeks and months.
This past weekend, the Pulp Fiction star turned 68. A video of him surrounded by his family – including ex-wife Demi Moore – surfaced, during which he could be seen speaking for the first time since the diagnosis. Yet fans were quick to spot one concerning detail in the clip, and it’s raised a fair few questions of its own…
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At the weekend, the Bruce Willis celebrated his 68th birthday, with fans getting their first chance to properly see him since the confirmation of his damning dementia diagnosis.
In a video uploaded to social media by Willis’ ex-wife, Demi Moore, on Sunday, March 19, Willis’ family could be seen singing “Happy Birthday” to him. The Hollywood heavyweight could be heard speaking with his family, 44-year-old Emma Willis and his three daughters, Rumer, 34, Scout, 21 and Tallulah, 29, before blowing out his candles.
Moore, who reports earlier this month suggested may have moved in with Willis and his wife to help with her former partner’s care, accompanied her Instagram post with the caption:
“Happy birthday, BW! So glad we could celebrate you today. Love you and love our family. Thank you to everyone for the love and warm wishes — we all feel them.”
The video embedded in the post showed Willis standing close to a kitchen island wearing a warm jacket-and-scarf combo, with his family singing “Happy Birthday”. Bruce responded by raising his arms and smiling when the song was finished, before blowing out the candles on his cake.
Yet there was something else about the Die Hard actor’s appearance that drew a large number of comments online.
Fans took to Twitter in their droves to discuss the fact that Bruce appeared to be missing a tooth – remember, this is the first time people have seen him properly in months.
One social media user wrote: “Dementia or not… If my dad is a major celebrity. A goddamn superstar… There’s no way I’m gonna post him or let him walk around with a front tooth missing. Bruce Willis deserves better than that. The kind of resources they have, that was a simple procedure.“
Another commented: “Why his Bruce Willis Missing a Front Tooth with a $400 Million Dollar Bank Balance? He’s looks like a farmer. Seriously, I wish him all the best with his health struggles…..Demi is a GD Legendary Legend!!”
A third said: “Bruce Willis’ fans are concerned for ailing actor after he appears to be missing a tooth in new video on 68th birthday.”
Another joked: “I’m not the one letting Bruce Willis look like a fucking hobo, for the price of a tooth implant.”
There were others who rightly defended the legendary actor, with many urging their online peers to cut him some slack given his obvious struggles.
The most important thing in my mind is that Bruce is surrounded by loved ones who are obviously taking care of him and ensuring his comfort at what can only be an incredibly trying and confusing time.
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