Bruce Willis is “retiring” from acting after being diagnosed with aphasia, his family has announced.

In a statement shared on Instagram, the star’s family Die Hard he wrote that he had been “experiencing several health problems” that were “affecting his cognitive abilities.”

“To our amazing Bruce fans, as a family, we would like to share that our beloved Bruce has been experiencing several health issues and was recently diagnosed with aphasia, which is affecting his cognitive abilities,” they wrote.

“As a result of this and with much deliberation, Bruce is retiring from a race that means a lot to him.”

They continued: “This is a very difficult time for our family and we are so grateful for your continued love, affection and support. We’re going through this as a strong family unit, and we wanted to bring in his fans because we know how much he means to you, just as you did to him.”

As Bruce always says, “‘Live life,’ and together we plan to do just that.”

Aphasia is a form of brain damage that affects a person’s language expression and understanding. Sufferers cannot communicate effectively and are often the result of a stroke.

The statement was signed by Willis’ wife, Emma, ​​ex-partner Demi Moore and all of their children.

Bruce Willis, 67, rose to fame in the mid-1980s with his role in the television comedy drama Moonlightwith Cybill Shepherd, where the pair played private detectives.

In 1988, Willis starred in the first film Die Hardwho embarked on a series of action hero roles that spanned years to come, including Armageddonfrom 1998, and the fifth and final film in the franchise Die Hard, Good day to die hardyear 2013.

Willis is also known for his appearances in military films and visiting Iraq on a USO (United Service Organizations Inc.) tour in 2003.

He was born in West Germany in 1955 into a military family. When he was two years old, his family moved to New Jersey and he joined his high school drama club to overcome his stuttering.

After working as a security guard in the 1970s, Willis started drama courses at Montclair State University and later moved to New York City to begin his acting career. He played a number of roles off Broadway before moving to California and landing roles in Moonlight.

Her first leading role in a feature film was in Blind date (1987).

Willis had a semi-professional music career, and in 1987 he published Bruno’s Returna disc from blue and soul which comes out on the Motown label. The flagship single, “Respect yourself”, a duet with June Pointer of the Pointer Sisters, became a Top 10 hit in the US and UK.

In the 1990s, Willis appeared in the cult classic Pulp Fictionby Quentin Tarantino, and went on to win an Emmy for his work as Rachel’s father at Friendsback to the small screen.

In 2015, Willis made his Broadway debut in the production of Sufferingby Stephen King, who was heavily criticized.

Since the early 2010s, Willis has appeared primarily in direct-to-video films, with the exception of Kingdom of the Rising Moon and circle.

His newest movie, theft movie A Day To Die, premiered on March 4. They are new City of Heaven, White Elephant and Die Like a Lover.