30+ Celebrities with Chronic Illnesses: Hidden Struggles

Bruce Willis - Frontotemporal Dementia

around March 2022, Bruce Willis and his family publicly confirmed his aphasia diagnosis, which had supposedly been a "open secret" around Hollywood for several years prior. The brain illness impairs one's capacity to understand and create speech and is typically caused by injury to the left side of the brain. Willis' family announced that he was retiring from acting, saying, "With much consideration, Bruce is stepping away from the career that has meant so much to him." Later, in February 2023, his family revealed his more exact diagnosis: frontotemporal dementia. Despite the tragic diagnosis, his family expressed joy at finally having clear explanations.

Madonna - Bacterial Infection & Coma

During a reflective moment onstage, the Pop Queen shared details about her hospitalization in 2023 due to a severe bacterial infection. "This show every night isn't that demanding on my body. It's difficult for me emotionally since I'm telling you the genuine narrative of my life. "My heart is on my sleeve," she explained. "I've fallen off a lot of horses and broken a lot of bones ... but nothing can stop me." When discussing her health crisis last summer, the singer described it as a "near-death experience" and said that the first thing she said after recovering from a four-day induced coma was "No." "I'm pretty sure God was asking me, 'Do you want to come?'" Want to meet up with me? "No," Madonna added, eliciting laughter from the audience.