According to his family, the "Die Hard" star has had to give up his acting career after being diagnosed with a shock diagnosis: Willis suffers from aphasia, a speech disorder caused by brain damage that affects a person's ability to communicate. In 80 percent of cases, it occurs after a stroke. However, it can also be caused by traumatic brain injury or tumors.

"To Bruce's amazing supporters, as a family, we want to share that Bruce has experienced some health issues and was recently diagnosed with aphasia," the family wrote in an Instagram post.

And then come the sentences that mark the end of a mega career that began decades ago: "As a result of this and after careful consideration, Bruce will give up a career that meant so much to him."

The statement was published by Bruce Willis' wife Emma (43), his ex-wife Demi Moore (59) and his adult daughters Rumer (33), Scout (30) and Tallulah (28) on their respective accounts.

The action star had his breakthrough late

"Yippee Kay Yay Motherf**ker!" - when Bruce Willis first mumbled this sentence into the camera as John McClane in "Die Hard" in 1988, nobody would have thought that this saying would make cinema history.

But the roughneck character of the then 33-year-old became an action cult - and Willis an international star.

Three years earlier, Bruce Willis had made his breakthrough as private detective David Addison Jr. in the TV series "Moonlighting with Cybill Shepherd." He received an Emmy and a Golden Globe for the role. Then, in 1988, the first part of the "Die Hard" series flickered across the cinema screens. The last part was published in 2013, titled: "Die Hard - A Good Day to Die."

In the nineties, followed roles in films such as "Pulp Fiction" (1994), "12 Monkeys" (1995), "The Fifth Element" (1997) and "The Sixth Sense" (1999). They all show that Willis can do more than blow up bad guys. The actor is critically acclaimed for his talent and charisma. The now 67-year-old also shows both in 2005 in the legendary graphic novel adaptation "Sin City."

In 2022 the probably last film of the Hollywood warhorse will be released. Bruce Willis plays a corrupt police chief in the action thriller A Day to Die.