Rumer Willis shares first photo of Bruce Willis as grandpa: ‘Best Girl Dad in the game’

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Bruce Willis’ daughter Rumer paid tribute to the actor as he celebrated his first Father’s Day as a grandpa.

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On Sunday, Rumer shared photos of the Die Hard star holding his granddaughter Louetta Isley.

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“Seeing my father hold my daughter today was something I will treasure for the rest of my life,” Rumer wrote. “His sweetness and love for her was so pure and beautiful. Papa I’m so lucky to have you and so is Lou. Thank you for being the silliest, most loving, coolest Daddio a girl could ask for. Best Girl Dad in the game….”

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In the same post, Rumer went on to congratulate her boyfriend Derek Richard Thomas for marking his first Father’s Day, writing, “Happy 1st Father’s Day. Thank you for building a beautiful garden for Lou to play in and eat from.”

Bruce’s wife, Emma Heming Willis, with whom he shares two daughters, and his former spouse Demi Moore also paid tribute to the action man.

“Father’s Day is a time I get to reflect on my deep appreciation and respect I have for Bruce as I watch him father our little ones,” Emma captioned a pic of Bruce kissing their daughter Mabel Ray, 11, on the forehead.

“Where it might not be ‘conventional,’ what he’s teaching them will span generations. Unconditional love, kindness, strength, compassion, patience, generosity, resilience,” she continued.

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“Happy Father’s Day to the greatest dad I know, who will forever be the gift that keeps giving within our family.”

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“Forever grateful to you BW for giving me these three beautiful girls. We love our #girldad. Happy Father’s Day!” Moore wrote alongside a photo of Bruce with his now adult children — Tallulah, 29, Scout, 31, and Rumer, 34 — sticking out their tongues.

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“This pic is wonderful,” one fan commented on Demi’s throwback snap. “It is full of real love and happiness.”

In March 2022, Bruce’s family announced his retirement from acting after being diagnosed with aphasia.

“To Bruce’s amazing supporters, as a family we wanted to share that our beloved Bruce has been experiencing some health issues and has recently been diagnosed with aphasia, which is impacting his cognitive abilities,” his family said in a message shared on social media. “As a result of this and with much consideration Bruce is stepping away from the career that has meant so much to him.”

According to the Mayo Clinic, aphasia affects a person’s ability to speak, write and understand language and “typically occurs suddenly after a stroke or a head injury.”

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Earlier this year, Emma shared a photo of the 68-year-old Moonlighting star on Instagram, telling followers that his condition has worsened since he revealed his aphasia diagnosis last year.

“Our family wanted to start by expressing our deepest gratitude for the incredible outpouring of love, support and wonderful stories we have all received since sharing Bruce’s original diagnosis. In the spirit of that, we wanted to give you an update about our beloved husband, father and friend since we now have a deeper understanding of what he is experiencing,” Emma wrote.

“Since we announced Bruce’s diagnosis of aphasia in spring 2022, Bruce’s condition has progressed and we now have a more specific diagnosis: frontotemporal dementia (known as FTD). Unfortunately, challenges with communication are just one symptom of the disease Bruce faces. While this is painful, it is a relief to finally have a clear diagnosis.”

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According to the Mayo Clinic, frontotemporal dementia is an “umbrella term for a group of brain disorders that primarily affect the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain. These areas of the brain are generally associated with personality, behaviour and language.”

“FTD is a cruel disease that many of us have never heard of and can strike anyone,” his family added in a statement on the Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration website. “For people under 60, FTD is the most common form of dementia, and because getting the diagnosis can take years, FTD is likely much more prevalent than we know.”

In an essay penned for Vogue last month, Bruce’s daughter Tallulah wrote about how she initially dismissed early signs her dad was suffering from dementia thinking that he had “lost interest” in her and his adult children because of his marriage to Emma and his young daughters.

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“I’ve known that something was wrong for a long time,” Tallulah began. “It started out with a kind of vague unresponsiveness, which the family chalked up to Hollywood hearing loss.”

Although she admitted she was “not proud of” how she handled herself in the early stages of her father’s decline, Tallulah went on to add that she has entered into a new phase in her relationship with her dad.

“I can bring him an energy that’s bright and sunny, no matter where I’ve been. In the past I was so afraid of being destroyed by sadness, but finally I feel that I can show up and be relied upon,” she wrote. “I can savor that time, hold my dad’s hand, and feel that it’s wonderful.”

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Twitter: @markhdaniell

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