Bruce Willis expresses ‘gratitude’ to LA fires first responders in rare outing amid dementia battle

In a video shared by his wife, Emma Heming, Bruce Willis was seen shaking hands with police officers.

Bruce Willis made a rare outing in Los Angeles earlier this week amid his battle with dementia. The Hollywood veteran, who has maintained a low profile since his diagnosis, was spotted greeting first responders involved in fighting the deadly Pacific Palisades wildfires.

Bruce Willis was spotted greeting Los Angeles fires first responders in rare outing amid his dementia battle(Instagram/ Emma Heming)

Bruce Willis expresses ‘gratitude’ to Los Angeles fires first responders in rare outing

In a video shared by his wife, Emma Heming, the Armageddon star was seen shaking hands with police officers. Willis appeared to be in good spirits as he greeted the first responders in the black-and-white clip shared over Instagram Thursday.

“Spotting a first responder, Bruce never missed a chance to show his gratitude with a heartfelt handshake and a ‘thank you for your service,'” Heming captioned the footage, adding, “Yesterday was no different.” The 46-year-old also added heart emojis in the colours of the American flag, red, white, and blue.

The clip, set to Led Zeppelin's Going to California, also featured a photo of the 69-year-old actor posing alongside a cop. For the rare outing, Willis kept it casual, sporting a corduroy jacket and dark-coloured pants. He paired the look with a New York Yankees baseball cap.

Willis' youngest daughter with his first wife, Demi Moore, expressed her happiness over seeing her father in good spirits. “This makes my heart so freaking full,” Tallulah Willis, 30, wrote in the comment section. The Die Hard actor's outing came amid his decision to step away from his acting career in the wake of his aphasia diagnosis.

In 2022, Willis' family made his illness public and announced his difficult decision to move away from Hollywood. “To Bruce’s amazing supporters, as a family we wanted to share that our beloved Bruce has been experiencing some health issues and has recently been diagnosed with aphasia, which is impacting his cognitive abilities,” the statement read.