Rumer Willis is speaking candidly about the grief that comes with watching her father, Bruce Willis, live with frontotemporal dementia while still being able to spend meaningful time with him.
“I really miss my dad. I miss a different version of who he was,” the 38-year-old actress said in a new video shared by health company Function and highlighted by Just Jared. “There are some days that are just so hard.”
Rumer said she tries not to let memories of how her father used to be prevent her from appreciating the relationship they can still have. “I try to prioritize being present with where he’s at now,” she said.
“The truth is, to be strong is learning to deal with both things at the same time,” she added, describing the balance between grieving what has changed and remaining grateful for the time they still share.
Rumer Says Strength Means Holding Grief and Gratitude at the Same Time
Rumer’s comments focus on the complicated experience of having someone she loves still physically present while his condition has changed the relationship she remembers.
E! News also highlighted the remarks, including Rumer’s acknowledgment that there are days when missing that earlier version of her father feels particularly difficult. At the same time, she told PEOPLE that visits still contain moments she deeply values.
“When I get to see him, he sees me and daughter Louetta and he starts smiling,” Rumer said. “So, there’s so much love and joy and tenderness that still exists there.” She called that continued connection “a huge win” and said she remains grateful simply to have more time with him.
In a separate PEOPLE interview, she said undergoing genetic testing could feel “terrifying” but that she preferred having information that might help guide future medical decisions.
She Previously Described a New ‘Tenderness’ in Her Dad
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Rumer had spoken in greater detail about how her relationship with Bruce has changed during a May appearance on Maeve Reilly’s The Inside Edit. She said her father was “OK in the context of what his reality is” and emphasized how thankful she remains to visit him even though their interactions no longer look the way they once did.
“There’s a sweetness,” Rumer said. “He’s always been this kind of macho dude and there’s like a, fragile is not the right word, but just a tenderness that maybe being Bruce Willis might not have allowed him in a certain way.” She returned to that idea in a Father’s Day tribute in June, thanking Bruce for his “joy and silliness and your tenderness” and calling him “the GOAT.”
Louetta’s Relationship With Bruce Has Become Especially Meaningful
One part of the family’s current reality that Rumer repeatedly emphasizes is the bond Bruce has been able to share with her 3-year-old daughter, Louetta. During The Inside Edit, Rumer said she was profoundly grateful that Louetta had the opportunity to meet and spend time with her grandfather.
“I’m so grateful that I have a child that got to meet him,” she said, explaining that she cannot know what Bruce’s condition will look like by the time her sisters potentially have children of their own.
She has also described dementia itself as an “unknown challenge” because each person’s condition and each family’s experience can unfold differently. “The most important thing for me is that I’m so grateful that I have this time with him for however many years it may be,” Rumer said.
The Willis Family Has Been Careful About What It Shares
Bruce’s family first announced in March 2022 that he was stepping away from acting after being diagnosed with aphasia, a condition affecting communication. In February 2023, the family said his condition had progressed and that doctors had reached the more specific diagnosis of frontotemporal dementia.
The Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration confirmed the announcement and specifically cautioned against speculation about Bruce’s individual symptoms, noting that it did not have private information about his condition beyond what the family had chosen to disclose. His relatives have continued sharing selected updates while keeping most details about his health and care private.
His wife, Emma Heming Willis, has become particularly active in discussing caregiving and dementia awareness, while Rumer, Scout and Tallulah Willis have shared occasional reflections and family photographs.
Bruce Recently Joined the Family for Tallulah Willis’ Wedding
One of the family’s most significant recent gatherings came earlier this month when Bruce attended daughter Tallulah Willis’ wedding to musician Justin Acee.
Tallulah and Acee married on August 8 in Idaho. Vogue reported on the ceremony and Tallulah’s custom Balenciaga wedding gown, while later photographs offered a rare public glimpse of Bruce participating in the celebration.
Tallulah subsequently shared an image of what she called a “tender moment” with Bruce and Acee at the beginning of the wedding weekend. The photograph showed her embracing her father with her new husband nearby.