Emma Heming Willis launches dementia research fund in Bruce’s name

'Bruce has always led with generosity and heart, and I know he would be proud to see this effort helping families facing this disease,' Emma Heming Willis said.

Emma Heming Willis has announced the launch of the Emma & Bruce Willis Fund for Dementia Research and Caregiver Support in honour of her husband Bruce Willis, who was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia in February 2023.

Heming Willis, 47, shared the news of the charity during her acceptance speech for an award at the Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration’s Hope Rising Benefit in New York on Thursday.

The research fund, housed at the Entertainment Industry Foundation, “works to confront frontotemporal dementia by raising awareness, funding promising research, and supporting caregivers,” according to its website.

“The Emma & Bruce Willis Fund is a grant-making organization that supports an ecosystem of grantees that work in our core areas: raising awareness by deepening understanding of frontotemporal dementia (FTD) caregiving and brain health through education and advocacy, funding promising research and accelerating discovery by catalyzing promising scientific research and supporting early-career scientists who are working to accelerate discovery and supporting caregivers by providing resources, practical tools and opportunities for respite,” the website adds.

Heming Willis accepted the award on behalf of herself and her husband, 70, who stepped back from acting in 2022 after being diagnosed with aphasia, a brain disorder that leads to speaking, reading and writing problems.

“This journey has opened my eyes to the realities so many families face when a loved one is living with frontotemporal dementia,” Heming Willis said. “I believe deeply in the importance of supporting research while also showing up for the caregivers who carry so much every day.

“Through this fund, my hope is to help deepen understanding of FTD and ensure families facing it feel seen, supported and less alone. Bruce has always led with generosity and heart, and I know he would be proud to see this effort helping families facing this disease.”

Willis’s family first announced that he had been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia in February 2023 in a statement on the Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration website.