Curtain falls on action hero - 6th April 2022

All-American action hero Bruce Willis has been forced to retire from the limelight. Posting on Instagram, his family's announcement divulged that "Bruce has been experiencing some health problems and had recently been diagnosed with aphasia, which is impacting his cognitive abilities."

The condition impacts a person's language abilities and leaves sufferers struggling with making and understanding both spoken and written communication. Mostly arising following a stroke or head trauma, the onset of aphasia may occasionally be more gradual.

Breaking onto the scene in the early 1980s as a comic actor, Willis captured the public's imagination as hard-bitten maverick cop John McClane in the Die Hard movies. His performance saw the franchise gross billions at the box office, leading Willis into a lucrative career.

Speaking collectively in their post announcing Willis's retirement, the family signed the statement they wished to share with his legion of fans. Wife Emma Hemming Willis, former wife actress Demi Moore and Willis's five daughters said, “We are moving through this as a strong family unit and wanted to bring his fans in because we know how much he means to you, as you do to him.”

Willis himself had reflected on the possibility of retirement in a 2010 interview.

Bruce Willis: "I don't think about it very much. I don't, it seldom crosses my mind to think about retiring. And I'm sure at some point, I'll either be retired by my own choice or not by my choice. I still like working and I still like doing what I do and I like the, the process of making films."

In the event, the star's career was brought to a close unwillingly.