Bruce Willis ‘sells real estate empire’ as health deteriorates after aphasia diagnosis

The 67-year-old action hero star has been diagnosed with aphasia – a condition that affects the brain and affects people’s ability to speak and retain information

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Bruce Willis retires from acting after being diagnosed with aphasia

Bruce Willis has quietly sold his real estate empire in preparation for his retirement from acting as his health deteriorates, friends of the star claim.

Hollywood and film fans were united in mourning last Wednesday when the 67-year-old actor’s family announced he was retiring after being diagnosed with aphasia – a disorder affecting the brain and speech ability of those affected impaired.

Although the news only broke in the last few days, the actor is believed to have known his prognosis “for a while” and has sold nearly $65million (£50million) of property.

The star has reportedly sold properties in New York and beyond and will focus on life in California as he continues his health battle.

PageSix Reports: “Bruce Willis has been preparing for his deteriorating health for some time, friends say, and is selling all of his award-winning property in New York and beyond.

“Willis spent several years selling nearly $65 million worth of luxury homes to focus on life with his family in California.”

While a source told the publication: “Bruce has been preparing for this moment for a long time. He knew there would come a time when his health would decline and his earning power would not be as great as it used to be.

“Also, he knew that at some point he wouldn’t need multiple properties and apartments to travel back and forth between and that he needed to live in a safe environment surrounded by his family instead.

“If you look at how he’s sold most of his properties over the past few years, it’s clear that he’s been preparing to downsize and simplify his life for a number of years.”

Bruce and his wife, 43-year-old model Emma Heming, sold a property for £7.7million (£5.9million) in December 2019 – and they slashed their asking price by $5.3million (£4million).

The couple originally bought the five-bedroom, five-bathroom property in 2014 for US$12million (£9.2million), meaning they made quite a loss on their sale.

The Die Hard star also sold a six-bedroom Central Park West Duplex property in NYC for $17.8 million (£13.6 million) in 2018 and his mountain home in Sun Valley, Idaho, for $5.5 million in the same year dollars (4.2 million pounds). ).

And Bruce and his wife also sold a massive home in Turks and Caicos for $27million (£20.6million) in 2019 – but that was $6million (£4.6million) less than the asking price.

The actor is also said to have sold a property on the island of Parrot Cay in Turks and Caicos for $6million (£4.6million) just last year.

Bruce had previously been open about his decision to sell his homes, saying back in 2019, “The only reason we’re giving it up is because we’re so far from our California family, which is why we decided to move to the return west coast and make there our home.”

Last week, the actor’s daughter, 33-year-old Rumer Willis, announced via Instagram: “To the amazing Bruce supporters, we wanted to announce as a family that our beloved Bruce is experiencing a number of health issues and has recently been diagnosed with aphasia which impaired his cognitive abilities.

“As a result, and with much deliberation, Bruce is stepping down from the career that has meant so much to him.

“This is a truly challenging time for our family and we are so grateful for your continued love, compassion and support.

“We’re going through this as a strong family unit and wanted to include his fans because we know how much he means to you, just as you mean to him.”

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