Bruce Willis’ biggest fans are the ladies he calls family.
The award-winning actor and action-hero icon, who has retreated from the spotlight in recent years amid his battle with dementia, received an outpouring of love from his wife and daughters for his 70th birthday on Wednesday.
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Willis is married to model Emma Heming Willis, with whom he shares daughters Mabel Ray, 12, and Evelyn Penn, 10. He also has three daughters — Rumer, 36, Scout, 33, and Tallulah, 31 — with ex-wife Demi Moore.
Tallulah paid tribute to Willis in an emotional Instagram post, which featured a photo of the father-daughter pair standing by side by side. “I love this Jersey boy, who combed my hair in baths, and always made sure I layed a towel down before eating on his bed,” she wrote.
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“Throughout my childhood I was so frequently asked what it was like to have capital B Bruce Willis as a dad, that somehow these people thought that when they saw him jump off buildings via a 20ft screen he remained EXTRA LARGE,” Tallulah reflected.
She concluded: “For years I would get red in the face when people found out my ‘full’ name. but I’m pretty damn proud to be Tallulah Belle Bruce Willis.”
Scout Willis posted a pair of bittersweet tributes to Willis on Instagram. The first post featured a nostalgic carousel of previous family photos.
“Happy birthday to the Greatest of all time. 🐐,” Scout wrote. “Every day I thank the Gods that 50% of my DNA is from him. The music I make, the magic I create, and the magnetic mischief I incite, that’s my father’s legacy alive in the world.”
Scout, a singer-songwriter, followed up the touching birthday shoutout with a more reflective post about her grief for Willis. “I cried a lot this morning, because I’m a baddie and grief is non linear and I am so full of love,” she wrote.
“It’s the price I pay to get to feel this depth of love and I would never give my grief away,” she continued. “I’m in Nashville making a record right now and I’m just so deeply aware that the music I make is a direct result of the musical education my dad made sure I got.”
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She added: “It was his absolute joy to share what he loved with me. Every time I smirk and audaciously ask for more and every time I feel so (expletive) insatiable that I want to devour the entire world because I am so GODDAMN in love with life, I am my father’s child.”
Meanwhile, Rumer Willis posted what appeared to be a throwback video of Willis and Moore on Instagram, which showed the former couple playfully dancing around in the kitchen.
“To the King…I love you Daddio,” Rumer captioned the post. “Happy 70th Birthday papa.”
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Demi Moore praises ex-husband Bruce Willis
Willis’ ex-wife Moore, 62, took to Instagram to praise her longtime friend and former husband with a carousel of their three daughters Rumer, Scout and Tallulah.
“Happy birthday, BW! We love you ♥️” she captioned the post. The first photo in the set featured the family of five laughing on a couch.
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Willis and Moore wed in 1987 and later divorced in 2000. Despite their divorce 25 years ago, the pair remained close friends publicly and privately, co-parenting their adult children.
After Moore won her first ever Golden Globe in February, Heming Willis, Willis’ wife, also celebrated Moore’s win, writing on her Instagram Story, “We are screaming over here!!! Congratulations @demimoore!!!!!”
Emma Heming Willis says Bruce Willis had a ‘great’ birthday
Heming Willis also gave a heartfelt shoutout to her hubby on Instagram Wednesday, sharing an outdoor photo of Willis excitedly standing atop a four-wheeler vehicle.
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“It’s Bruce’s birthday, and if there’s one thing I know, it’s that there’s no greater fan than a Bruce fan,” Heming Willis wrote. “So flood him with all the love today — he will feel it, I swear he will. You are one powerful bunch. I love how you rally for him, and I’m so grateful that he has you ✨”
Heming Willis shared a warm thank-you to Willis’ supporters in a post on her Instagram Stories Thursday, which included a video compilation of fans’ birthday messages. “Bruce had a great day. YOU made it very special,” she wrote.
What happened to Bruce Willis?
Following his retirement from acting in 2022 due to an aphasia diagnosis, Willis’ family revealed in February 2023 that the actor had been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia, a brain disorder caused by degeneration of the brain’s frontal lobe.
Source: usatoday.com