Bruce Willis retired from a long and illustrious acting career in 2022, after being diagnosed with aphasia that has since progressed to frontotemporal dementia. Every so often his fans will get an update from his wife Emma Heming Willis on how he is doing, but there’s no question that what the family is going through right now is difficult. That’s likely why she had the reaction that she did to the media coverage surrounding Matthew Perry’s death at age 54, as Heming Willis called out the “entitlement” people are feeling during this moment of tragedy for Perry’s family and friends.
Matthew Perry was found dead of an apparent drowning on Saturday, October 28, in the hot tub at his home in Los Angeles. A couple of Friends guest stars and other celebrities paid tribute to the actor, as Perry’s own wishes for his legacy have been making their rounds on social media. But as the media photographed Perry’s parents arriving at their son’s home and fans waited on the actor’s five Friends co-stars to speak out, Emma Heming Willis weighed in with a strong message regarding the frenzy, writing on Instagram Stories:
I don’t need to hear the 911 dispatch call. I don’t need to know the autopsy report. Why? Because it’s absolutely none of my business. This level of lookie-loo and entitlement is god awful and I will never understand it. Let this man rest in peace and show some respect. Give his family and friends grace to mourn and grieve without all this noise.
As affected as Matthew Perry’s many fans are by his untimely death, Bruce Willis’ wife pointed out that the details of what happened are actually none of our business. And our sorrows are nothing compared to what his mother Suzanne Morrison, father John Bennett Perry and stepfather Keith Morrison are going through. Emma Heming Willis implored people to give them space to grieve.
Fans feeling like they have a right to public figures’ most private moments is certainly something Emma Heming Willis has encountered in regards to her husband’s medical condition. Bruce Willis’ daughters Scout and Tallulah spoke out to praise their stepmother for stepping into the spotlight to raise awareness of frontotemporal dementia, and part of her message was that dementia is hard — for the Die Hard actor, as well as his five daughters and wife.
Frontotemporal dementia affects the language processing centers of the brain, making communication a struggle. As far as whether or not Bruce Willis is aware of his condition, Emma Heming Willis said, “It’s hard to say,” and Moonlighting creator Glenn Gordon Caron revealed that, “He’s not totally verbal,” in an update on the retired actor in October.
Bruce Willis also had a personal connection to Matthew Perry. The two starred in 2000’s The Whole Nine Yards together, which led to Willis’ guest appearance on Friends.
While it’s understandable that fans want as much information as possible in regards to what happened to Matthew Perry, Emma Heming Willis makes a really good point about respecting his loved ones’ boundaries. Our condolences continue to go out to the actor’s family, friends and all who have been affected by his passing.
