Rumer Willis reflects on spending ‘precious moments’ with father Bruce Willis amid declining health

Rumer, 35, is Die Hard actor Bruce Willis’ eldest daughter

Rumer Willis is honoring her own journey and reflecting on the “dynamic” past 12 months as she welcomed her first child and revealed the devastating news that her father, Bruce Willis’, health was declining. Alongside a stunning portrait taken of Rumer nude and sitting in the bath, she wrote an emotional essay detailing the changes she had made to find the “most honest authentic version of myself”.

“Finding my way back to myself….Last year was incredibly dynamic, I grew a human being, gave birth at home (with no drugs) surrounded by my family,” she began.

“Navigated a new relationship while being pregnant and postpartum, fell in love with the tiny love of my life Lou, softened, became less resistant to my own, threw pots on a wheel, did 6am ocean swims 4x a week in the winter, learned about what real intimacy looks like, working on being the most honest authentic version of myself, healing my trauma so I don’t pass it on to my daughter, celebrated 7 years of sobriety,” it continued, as she revealed that she has also began cold water swimming, met new friends and “spent precious love filled moments with my Daddio”.

Bruce with daughter Rumer and granddaughter Louetta in a photo shared on Instagram

“Loved myself more than I ever have, felt more beautiful and comfortable in my skin than I ever have, laughed, cried, fought, primal screamed, took ownership, met new friends, wrote lullaby’s with my daughters dad,” Rumer continued, before concluding that she had  “found strength in myself I didn’t know existed and watched my daughter grow in front of my eyes”.

“The power of a woman is boundless. You’re proof of that. Continue being powerful and boundless. It radiates with you,” shared one follower in response, as another praised the piece, writing: “This is absolutely magnificent to hear as somebody that struggled for so long I totally know the space you’re in. So happy for you.”

Rumer and her partner Derek Thomas welcomed their daughter on April 18 2023, with the 35-year-old sharing the news of her baby’s arrival on Instagram with an adorable first photo of the sleeping newborn.

“Louetta Isley Thomas Willis, you are pure magic,” she wrote, revealing her daughter’s name as well. “Born at home on Tuesday April 18th, you are more than we ever dreamed of.”

Demi Moore and Rumer with baby Louetta

Rumer is the oldest of the Die Hard actor’s five daughters; he also shares Scout, 32, and Tallulah, 29, with Demi Moore – who he was with from 1987 to 2000 – and Mabel Ray, 11, and Evelyn Penn, eight, with wife Emma Heming Willis, who he married in 2009.

In late 2023 she revealed that she had named her daughter after her dad’s favorite musicians: “Lou” for Louis Armstrong, “Etta” for Etta James, and “Isley” for The Isley Brothers.

Bruce has been diagnosed with FTD

The Willis family released a joint statement in February 2023 confirming the 68-year-old actor’s deteriorating health, and revealing that Bruce’s initial diagnosis of aphasia had progressed to FTD, significantly impacting his communication skills.

“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,” they said.

“FTD occurs when abnormal proteins accumulate and clump together in brain cells called neurons,” the Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration’s website reads. It is also thought that “a subset of familial FTD cases are genetic, or hereditary, in nature. They occur when a parent passes a genetic variant associated with FTD to their child”.

Symptoms of FTD start gradually and progress steadily, and often include dramatic behavioral changes such as swearing, impaired judgment, emotional withdrawal from others, loss of energy, and less frequent speech.