Bruce Willis Is Not the Only Celebrity Who Suffered from Aphasia — Sharon Stone and Others’ Lives Changed after Disease

“Die Hard” star Bruce Willis announced he is leaving the entertainment industry due to a neurological condition that has affected Sharon Stone, Emilia Clarke, and other Hollywood stars.

The end of an era has come. After being one of the most successful actors in Hollywood for more than 40 years, Bruce Willis is stepping away from acting.

On March 30, 2022, Willis’s family revealed that he had been diagnosed with aphasia, a neurological condition that impairs a person’s speech or language.

BRUCE WILLIS’S APHASIA

Although the condition negatively impacts the patient’s communication ability, it does not affect their intelligence. It is essential to point out that some of Willis’s co-workers suspected something was not okay years ago. 

“Out of Death” director Mike Burns asked his screenwriters to reduce Willis’s participation “by about five pages” and to keep his lines “short and sweet.” He didn’t explain why, but now we understand. 

Other co-workers revealed Willis couldn’t remember his lines, so he needed an earpiece to listen to another actor read the dialogue. While filming “White Elephant,” Willis questioned why he was on set, revealed director Jesse V. Johnson.

Bruce Willis’s retirement and medical condition shocked his fans and the film industry. Unfortunately, he is not the only entertainer diagnosed with aphasia.

SHARON STONE

“Basic Instinct” star, Sharon Stone, had a brain aneurysm in 2001. It was so severe that she had to relearn to read and write. Stone dealt with aphasia, but she took smaller parts instead of retiring. 

Her health scare made her more “emotionally intelligent.” She has also used her fame to raise awareness for stroke victims. 

EMILIA CLARKE

“Game of Thrones” actress, Emilia Clarke, might be just 35 years old, but she has already survived two brain aneurysms. Both happened after wrapping up the show’s first season.

After undergoing surgery to seal off the aneurysm, she dealt with aphasia. Clarke said the impact of brain injury was “shattering,” but she is still acting.

KIRK DOUGLAS

Hollywood legend Kirk Douglas also experienced aphasia following his stroke in 1996. The condition impacted him so severely that he was depressed. All he wanted to do was “pull down the blinds, crawl into bed, and cry.”

After the stroke, Douglas learned people took too many things for granted, including their ability to communicate. He had to relearn how to use his tongue and lips and did speech exercises until he passed away in February 2020.

PATRICIA NEAL

Oscar-winner Patricia Neal almost died after completing her first workday in the 1966 film “Seven Women.” She was expecting her fifth child and had three consecutive strokes.

The strokes left her partially blind, paralyzed on the right side of her body, and with impaired speech. Neal had a hard time with names, so she would invent new words to communicate.

RANDY TRAVIS

The case of country music star Randy Travis is slightly different. He suffered a stroke in 2013 while undergoing surgery for congestive heart failure, which resulted in aphasia. Travis’s wife, Mary, revealed in 2017 that his memory was sharp, but he couldn’t communicate properly.

Mary was shocked that most people didn’t know anything about the neurological condition, mainly because it is more common than Parkinson’s disease and cerebral palsy.