What does joie de vivre mean? Concerning Bruce Willis health update emerges

American actor Bruce Willis retired from his profession after being diagnosed with aphasia in early 2022. Later this year, he was also diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia.

Recently, Glenn Gordon Caron, Willis’ longtime friend and creator of the 1980s hit dramedy Moonlighting, starring Willis in the lead role of Detective David Addison, spoke about the Die Hard actor’s deteriorating health. In a recent exclusive with the New York Post, Caron stated:

“The joie de vivre Willis was known for is gone.”

He further continued by saying that Bruce Willis, who was known for living life to the fullest, now “sees life through a screen door,” which is not only tragic but makes “very little sense.” Caron also added that Willis’ language skills were no longer available and he wasn’t “totally verbal.”

For those uninitiated, the expression “joie de vivre,” according to the Oxford Dictionary, means “zest for life.”

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Joie de vivre, the expression that Bruce Willis represented, is French in origin

According to Grammarist, the expression “joie de vivre” is French in origin and literally translates to “joy of living” in English. However, it simply doesn’t refer to an outburst of happiness but symbolizes a “cheerful zest for life.”

Its pronunciation is, however, kind of tricky. As per the website, it should sound like “zhwah duh veev.”

The phrase can be traced back to the 19th century, represents the French philosophy of “relishing life’s simple pleasures,” and has been part of global vocabulary since the 20th century.

An example of “joie de vivre” in a sentence can be as follows: My grandfather, despite his old age, has joie de vivre.

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“He loved life": Glenn Gordon Canon on Bruce Willis amid the latter’s worsening health

Bruce Willis is 68 years old and retired from acting last year after he was diagnosed with aphasia and later with a kind of dementia. Recently, his lifelong friend, writer, director, and producer Glenn Gordon Caron told the New York Post about the Pulp Fiction actor’s worsening health condition.

He told the media outlet that he visits Willis once a month and keeps in touch with his wife, Emma Heming Willis, and his three adult children. Caron began by saying how it has been challenging for him to stay a part of Willis’ life.

“The thing that makes [his diseases] so mind-blowing is, if you’ve spent time with Bruce Willis, there is no one who had more joie de vivre than he. He loved life and just adored waking up every morning and trying to live life to the fullest.”

In continuation, Caron added that Willis’ life has changed in a year, and now he has to see life through a screen door, which made almost no sense to him or the people around him. Caron also noted how the Golden Globe winner was able to recognize him with “the first one to three minutes” of their meet but was no longer verbally sound.

“He used to be a voracious reader and he’s not reading now. All those language skills are no longer available to him, and yet he’s still Bruce. When you’re with him you know that he’s Bruce and you’re grateful that he’s there, but the joie de vivre is gone.”

Glenn Gordon Caron, the director of Bruce Willis’ hit 1980s series that ran for five seasons and had him in the lead role of a private detective, David Addison, is currently debuting on the OTT via Hulu. In this regard, Caron said that he communicated the news to Bruce and that the latter was thrilled that the show was “back in front of people.”

“I know he’s really happy that the show is going to be available for people, even though he can’t tell me that. When I got to spend time with him, we talked about it, and I know he’s excited.”

In March 2022, Bruce Willis’ family announced his retirement when he was diagnosed with aphasia. This year, in February, he was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia, or FTD in short.

As per News Hub, FTD still has no known cure. In fact, when his family announced his health condition, they pleaded that instead of focusing on Willis’ condition, the media should shed light on the disease and raise awareness and research on it.

Bruce Willis was married to actress Demi Moore between 1987 and 2000 and shares three daughters with her – Rumer, Scout, and Tallulah. In 2009, he married Emma Heming, and the couple shared two adolescent daughters, Mabel and Evelyn.