Bruce Willis makes rare public appearance amid dementia diagnosis

Bruce Willis was spotted out walking in public for the first time in months as he continues to deal with his dementia diagnosis. The Hollywood star, 68, has kept himself largely out of the public eye since his family confirmed his frontotemporal dementia condition earlier this year.

Bruce Willis steps out in LA

Previous photos of Bruce Willis have largely consisted of him surrounded by his family or sitting in a vehicle with security guards, reports mirror.co.uk. However, the latest images showed the ‘Die Hard’ actor seemingly in good spirits as he took to the streets around breakfast time on Monday in Santa Monica. The actor was seen wearing casual clothes, including a plaid shirt, quilted jacket, grey joggers and a grey New York baseball cap.

He also opted for comfy grey laceless trainers and was said to have given a thumbs up to passers-by. The actor's friend recently confirmed he can barely speak any more and is "not totally verbal" as his condition continues to decline.

About Bruce Willis' dementia diagnosis

His former co-worker Glenn Gordon Caron, who created Moonlighting -- a sitcom that helped Bruce shoot to fame -- made the stark confession in October.

Speaking to Page Six at the time, Glenn said: "My sense is the first one to three minutes he knows who I am. He’s not totally verbal; he used to be a voracious reader -- he didn’t want anyone to know that -- and he’s not reading now."

He then added: "All those language skills are no longer available to him, and yet he’s still Bruce." Nearly a year after Bruce Willis’ family announced that he would step away from acting after being diagnosed with aphasia, his family says his “condition has progressed.”

In a statement posted Thursday, the 67-year-old actor’s family said Willis has a more specific diagnosis of frontotemporal dementia.

“While this is painful, it is a relief to finally have a clear diagnosis,” the statement read. “FTD is a cruel disease that many of us have never heard of and can strike anyone.” Last March, Willis’ family said his aphasia had affected his cognitive abilities. The condition causes loss of the ability to understand or express speech.

In Thursday’s statement, his family said communication challenges were just one symptom of frontotemporal dementia.

(Inputs from IANS, AP)