Bruce Willis' Wife Pens Bittersweet Tribute on 'Die Hard' Anniversary
Emma Heming Willis commemorated Die Hard’s 35th anniversary alongside a special tribute to the star of the film, her husband, Bruce Willis.
In the Instagram post shared on Sunday, Emma included a montage of throwback footage from 2018 that saw the 68-year-old action star and their daughters, Mabel and Evelyn, now 11 and 9, taking a “peek at the archives” with their dad at the Fox Studio lot in Hollywood.
During the tour, the family looked at props from the film and posed in front of an “larger-than-life mural of their dad” as the iconic character John McLane.
"This mural was unveiled in front of Bruce back in 2013 to commemorate Die Hard’s 25th anniversary," the 45-year-old wrote in her caption, noting, "Today marks Die Hard’s 35th anniversary when it hit the screens and the rest is history."
“What Bruce has been able to accomplish in his career will never be lost on us. We are so proud of him ??,” she added.
Willis’ daughter, Tallulah, whom he shares with ex Demi Moore, commented, “so so so proud. I love him so much. My papa icon ??.” She then added, "Happy 35th Johnny Boy, maybe you can come out to to [sic] the coast, have a few laughs…” The former couple are also parents to Rumer and Scout.
The tribute touched fans, with many taking to the comments to thank Emma for sharing such sweet memories.
“We love you Bruce, thanks for making our lives better,” one fan wrote, as another added, “Bruce is an Icon ??.”
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One fan stated, “He really created a genre of everyman in an extraordinary situation triumph hero action. ??????????,” as someone else explained, “He brought fun action to the movies. Be proud, he created a genre.”
Just last year, the couple paid tribute to the film on its 34th anniversary by visiting Fox Plaza, which turned into Nakatomi Plaza in the 1988 blockbuster film. Emma posted a video on her Instagram starting with a short video of Willis standing on the roof in 2022 then transitioning into clips of McClane in action in the movie, all set to "Ode to Joy," the main musical piece featured in the film.
The actor was previously diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia, which progressed from his prior aphasia diagnosis revealed by the family a year prior.
Since the diagnosis, Emma has been very transparent with fans about how the family is handling the diagnosis and coming together to care for the actor. She's constantly sharing updates as well as heartwarming throwbacks to stay connected with fans.
Willis appeared in many films throughout his lengthy career, including four sequels in the Die Hard franchise, which launched his career to stardom—Die Hard 2, Die Hard with a Vengeance, Live Free or Die Hard, and A Good Day to Die Hard.
Earlier this year, Emma and her daughters visited Willis' Walk of Fame star.
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