By Brian Marks For Dailymail.com and Rebecca Lawrence For Mailonline
19:36 20 Nov 2023, updated 20:06 20 Nov 2023
Rumer Willis sounded as if she was longing for the good old days with her father Bruce Willis after sharing an old photo of the two on Monday.
The 35-year-old actress posted a photo of herself from when she was just a baby as her father held her in his arms sweetly.
In her caption, she wrote, ‘Really missing my papa today.’
Her post came just days after Bruce was spotted out in Los Angeles on a rare outing amid his struggles with dementia and aphasia.
The 68-year-old Die Hard star is said to have declined significantly in recent years, and Glenn Gordon Caron, the creator of his classic series Moonlighting, said last month that his once-intoxicating ‘joie de vivre is gone.’
In the photo, Bruce is seen shirtless in the late 1980s while sporting a thick stubble and mussed short hair.
He has an infectious grin as he turns toward Rumer, who sits on his arm and wears an adorable white dress and a white headband with a flower decoration.
The care-free photo was reminiscent of a series of sweet images Rumer shared on Father’s Day as a tribute to the Moonrise Kingdom star.
In one of those snaps, Rumer showed an infectious soft smile and gazed into the camera while Bruce rested his head on hers and also smiled.
In her arms, the Once Upon A Time In Hollywood actress held her own baby, six-month-old Louetta, whom she shares with her partner, the musician Derek Richard Thomas.
Another photo was a more somber update of the 1980s picture, showing Bruce gazing off into the distance next to a pool while cradling little Louetta in his arms.
‘Seeing my father hold my daughter today was something I will treasure for the rest of my life,’ she wrote in her caption. ‘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…’ she added, before including a second Father’s Day message for Derek.
Rumer, her siblings, her mother Demi Moore and Bruce’s wife Emma Heming Willis have all delivered periodic updates on Bruce, but details about his mental and physical condition have been fairly sparse.
After Caron’s recent reunion with his former star, he explained that Bruce is still able to make a personal connection, but much of his charm has been sapped by his dementia and accompanying language issues.
‘My sense is the first one to three minutes he knows who I am,’ he said in a devastating interview with the New York Post. ‘He’s not totally verbal; he used to be a voracious reader — he didn’t want anyone to know that — and he’s not reading now.’
Caron, who is also known for creating the series Medium, added: ‘All those language skills are no longer available to him, and yet he’s still Bruce.
‘When you’re with him you know that he’s Bruce and you’re grateful that he’s there, but the joie de vivre is gone.’
In addition to Rumer, Bruce shares his adult daughters Scout, 32, and Tallulah, 29, with his ex Demi, whom he was married to from 1987 until their divorce in 2000.
He went on to marry Emma in 2009, and the couple share two daughters: Mabel, 11, and Evelyn, nine.
Emma recently spoke about her experiences as a carer as she penned an article for Maria Shriver’s The Sunday Paper in honour of November being National Caregiver Month.
The doting wife and mother wrote that finding community is important, sharing: ‘With a specific diagnosis, you have a chance to find a community. You get to connect with people who understand your story immediately.
‘You don’t even have to explain yourself. The people I’ve met and interviewed in the FTD community have so much compassion, and are so determined to make things better for the next family.’
Awareness about the condition, she advised, is crucial.
‘The world needs to know that not all dementia is Alzheimer’s and that not all dementia impacts memory,’ she stated.
‘A disease like FTD presents instead with changes to behavior, personality, language, or movement.’
The advocate said she was ‘inspired and motivated’ by those who have brought attention to other conditions, ‘the changes that have followed have been remarkable.’
Research for FTD is underway and she revealed that ‘the first disease-modifying treatments for FTD are in clinical trials right now,’ and that participants were being actively recruited.
‘Now is the time for our community to take action to end this disease,’ she contended.
Emma relayed that since The Sixth Sense star’s diagnosis, she has become a more compassionate person.
‘I find that I’m able to hold more space for what others might be going through. I’m holding gratitude as well as grief.’
She added that she also wants to set an example for her daughters through her advocacy, ‘working with others, fighting through the stigma and isolation that a disease like this can bring.’
The former Victoria’s Secret model wrote she understands that her family’s celebrity means they have access to resources other might not be able to afford and ‘It’s important to me to be an advocate on behalf of those families who don’t have the time, energy, or resources to advocate for themselves.’
The Make Time Wellness founder closed by saying she has more hope now than when the Die Hard star was first diagnosed.
‘I have hope in how our entire family can find joy in the small things, and in coming together to celebrate all the moments life has to offer,’ she claimed
‘As much as I grieve this experience daily—as I know so many others do—I also know that it has made me stronger than I ever thought possible.’
James Parker is a UK-based entertainment aficionado who delves into the glitz and glamour of the entertainment industry. From Hollywood to the West End, he offers readers an insider’s perspective on the world of movies, music, and pop culture.
