Emma Heming Willis Shares Father’s Day Tribute to Bruce Willis

Emma Heming Willis shared an emotional post dedicated to Bruce Willis on Father’s Day.

On Sunday, June 15, the model and actress, 46, shared a tribute to her husband Bruce, 70, and other fathers “living with disability or disease” on Instagram.

The couple, who have been married since 2009, share daughters Mabel Ray Willis, 13, and Evelyn Penn Willis, 11. Bruce is also dad to three adult daughters: Rumer Glenn Willis, 36, Scout LaRue Willis, 33, and Tallulah Belle Willis, 31, whom he shares with his ex-wife Demi Moore. 

“Happy Father’s Day to all the dads living with disability or disease, showing up in the ways they can and to the children who show up for them,” Emma captioned a snap of Bruce cuddling with one of his younger daughters.

“What Bruce teaches our girls goes far beyond words,” she continued. “Resilience, unconditional love, and the quiet strength in simply being present. This photo says so much. Love deepens. It adapts. It stays, even when everything else changes. But to be fair to myself, these symbolic days stir up a lot.”

Emma shared that the special day is emotional for her given Bruce’s diagnosis with frontotemporal dementia.

“I’m profoundly sad today. I wish, with every cell in my body, that things could be different for him and lighter for our family,” she wrote. “As they say in our FTD community, ‘It is what it is.’ And while that might sound dismissive, to me, it’s not. It grounds me. It helps me return to the acceptance of what is and not fight this every step of the way like I used to.”

Emma concluded her post with, “Today, let’s celebrate the badass dads, those who are here, and those we carry with us 💙 Onward.”

She continued to share a few snaps of Bruce with their daughters on her Instagram Stories, including ones where he is embracing one of his daughters while she sat on his lap and another of him with his arms around both Mabel and Evelyn as they posed at a museum.

“I miss and mourn what was,” Emma captioned the latter picture. “Even those Ugg days,” she continued in a nod to Bruce’s choice of footwear in the snap. “I want it all back.”

In May, Emma told PEOPLE that when Bruce was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia in 2022, she was given almost no direction about what to do next. 

“We received a diagnosis and sent away with no hope, no guidance, no nothing, and I really had to figure out how to put resources into place,” Emma, said. “And it was a lot of searching the Internet, trying to figure things out.”

The mother-of-two then set off to learn everything she could about her husband’s condition, and ultimately put everyone else’s needs ahead of her own. 

“I think that was my downfall. I thought that that’s what I was supposed to do,” she said. “What I’ve learned in all of this is that the most important person is the caregiver. We have to care for the caregiver, because when we care for ourselves, we can then show up for the person that we love.”

That same month, Rumer shared that she is filled with “delight” when she sees her daughter interacting with her grandparents. While speaking with PEOPLE, she opened up about the relationship her daughter Louetta, 2, has with her parents.

“My mom, she’s Yaya to Lou. She’s the one who brought in the contraband of Moana and Disney because I was like, ‘We don’t watch TV in this house. We don’t ever. Not until she’s 5.’ And then I went over and Moana was on. I was like, ‘Come on!’ ” Rumer said. “But they love each other. I mean, you should see her face light up when they’re on FaceTime when we’re away.”

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As for Bruce, she said he “gets so excited” when he sees the little one. 

“Even with my dad, given the challenges that he’s dealing with, whenever we go over there to visit, his face just lights up and he gets so excited and is so sweet with her,” Rumer said. “My family is so incredible with her. I feel so lucky, and she’s so lucky. I mean, they are obsessed with her.”

In April, Emma shared some special home video footage of Bruce with Mabel in honor of the young girl’s 13th birthday. The tribute included a clip of the 70-year-old Die Hard actor snuggling Mabel as a baby.

“In the blink of an eye, she’s thirteen -our bright, beautiful Mabel Ray. I’m grateful for the joy and color she brings to our world,” Emma wrote in the accompanying caption. “She moves through life with kindness and heart, and we love her more than words can hold. Happy Birthday to our sweet girl!”