Sylvester Stallone shared an update on his friend Bruce Willis‘ health, several months after the Die Hard actor’s family announced he was diagnosed with aphasia. Willis and Stallone have beenfriends for decades and were business partners in Planet Hollywood with Arnold Schwarzenegger. They also worked together on the first two Expendables movies.
“Bruce is going through some really, really difficult times,” Stallone, 76, told The Hollywood Reporter. “So he’s been sort of incommunicado. That kills me. It’s so sad.”
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Stallone and Willis, 67, were both Hollywood superstars in the 1990s and have been good friends for decades. They were early supporters of the Planet Hollywood restaurant chain together, alongside Willis’ now ex-wife Demi Moore and Schwarzenegger. Stallone, Willis, and Schwarzenegger finally worked together in 2010’s The Expendables and its 2012 sequel, The Expendables 2.
The two stars had a falling out after The Expendables 2 wrapped, leading to Willis dropping out of the third movie. Willis reportedly asked for a salary bump for The Expendables 3, which Stallone publicly complained about in a September 2013 tweet. In November 2014, Stallone tweeted that he “made up” with Willis, who is a “stand-up guy.” Stallone even took the blame for the brief feud, adding “my mistake” at the end of his tweet.
After Willis’ family announced his aphasia diagnosis, Stallone shared several photos of himself with his friend. “We go back a long way,” Stallone wrote on March 30. “Praying for the best for you and your wonderful family.”
Back on March 30, Moore joined Willis‘ wife, Emma Hemming, and his daughters Rumer, Scout, Tallulah, Mabel, and Evelyn to announce that Willis would be retiring from acting after he was diagnosed with aphasia, which impacts his cognitive abilities. “This is a really challenging time for our family and we are so appreciative of your continued love, compassion, and support,” the actor’s family said. “We are moving through this as a strong family unit, and wanted to bring his fans in because we know how much he means to you, as you do to him.”
In the months since they shared the sad news, Willis’ family has continued sharing their memories with fans. On Father’s Day in June, Tallulah shared a hilarious collection of photos from her childhood. “You showed me how to love people from a smile, that strength resides in the self-possessed goofball, taught me this neat way to make your arms grow and lengthen to hold as many people as possible close and cozy,” Tallulah wrote. “You are by far my coolest friend.”
