Bruce Willis Seen in Public for First Time Since Dementia Diagnosis as He Thanks L.A. First Responders

Bruce Willis is stepping out in public to thank first responders as wildfires continue throughout Los Angeles.

On Thursday, Jan. 16, Willis' wife Emma Heming Willis shared a black-and-white video to Instagram showing Willis wearing a New York Yankees cap and shaking hands with a Los Angeles police officer and posing for a photo. The video was set to the Led Zeppelin song "Going to California."

Emma, 46, wrote in her caption that the video was taken on Wednesday, Jan. 15. "Spotting a first responder, Bruce never missed a chance to show his gratitude with a heartfelt handshake and a “thank you for your service.” Yesterday was no different ❤️🤍💙," she wrote.

"This makes my heart so freaking full," Tallulah Wilis, Bruce's youngest daughter with ex-wife Demi Moore, wrote in a comment on Emma's post.

Related: Demi Moore Celebrates Daughter Tallulah Willis’ ‘Christmas Proposal’ to Musician Justin Acee: ‘We Love You'

The new Instagram video appears to be the first time the Die Hard icon, 69, has been seen out in public since 2022, when his family announced that the actor had been diagnosed with the language disorder aphasia and would be stepping away from acting. In 2023, the Willis family shared that Bruce had received a more specific diagnosis of frontotemporal dementia (FTD), a progressive condition which causes the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain to atrophy.

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On Dec. 29, Emma — who married Bruce in 2009 — marked the anniversary of when the pair began dating by sharing a post on Instagram featuring a photo of the couple at sunset as they stood in shallow water in their swimsuits.

“17 years of us ❤️,” Emma wrote in a caption. She additionally wrote in that post that anniversaries with Bruce "used to bring excitement — now, if I’m honest, they stir up all the feelings, leaving a heaviness in my heart and a pit in my stomach."

Related: Bruce Willis' Wife Emma Posts Rare Video of Him and Photos with Their Daughters: 'Him. Always.'

"I give myself 30 minutes to sit in the ‘why him, why us,’ to feel the anger and grief. Then I shake it off and return to what is. And what is… is unconditional love. I feel blessed to know it, and it’s because of him. I’d do it all over again and again in a heartbeat 💞

Emma and Bruce share two daughters: Mabel Ray Willis, 12, and Evelyn Penn Willis, 10. The actor also shares older daughters Rumer Glenn Willis, 36, and Scout LaRue Willis, 33, with The Substance star Moore, whom he was married to from 1987 to 2000.

Click here to learn more about how to help the victims of the L.A. fires.

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