Bruce Willis' Friend Glenn Gordon Caron Explains How Actor's Life Changed Since Dementia Diagnosis

Bruce Willis

Bruce Willis' longtime friend Glenn Gordon Caron, who created the classic dramedy Moonlighting—which just premiered on streaming for the first time ever—is shedding some light on the beloved actor's condition these days.

Caron recently shared that he makes it a point to visit Willis on a regular basis, aiming for once a month, and has ever since he was first diagnosed with aphasia—which has since been upgraded to frontotemporal dementia.

“I have tried very hard to stay in his life," he told the New York Post, calling him an "extraordinary" individual. "The thing that makes [his disease] so mind-blowing is [that] if you’ve ever spent time with Bruce Willis, there is no one who had any more joie de vivre than he. He loved life and … just adored waking up every morning and trying to live life to its fullest.”

While Caron says he no longer sees that "joie de vivre," the actor is "still Bruce,” he confirmed. He's confident that Willis recognizes him, but thanks to the progression of his disease, it's not something he's is able to say outright. “He’s not totally verbal," Caron explained, revealing that Willis was once, secretly, "a voracious reader." But today, "those language skills are no longer available to him."

He described it as seeing "life through a screen door," adding that it "makes very little sense" to him. Still, he says that whenever “you’re with him you know that he’s Bruce and you’re grateful that he’s there.”

He's also certain that the fact that Moonlighting is finally getting its starring turn on Hulu "means a lot to him,” even if he can't verbalize it.

“The process [to get Moonlighting onto Hulu] has taken quite a while and Bruce’s disease is a progressive disease, so I was able to communicate with him, before the disease rendered him as incommunicative as he is now, about hoping to get the show back in front of people."

Willis was first diagnosed with the language processing disorder in March 2022, which led to his official retirement from acting. It was upgraded to FTD in Feb. 2023.

Next: Bruce Willis’ Wife Gives ‘Hard’ Update About Husband’s Dementia Journey