Sylvester Stallone issued a heart-wrenching update on his longtime pal and co-star Bruce Willis.
The “Die Hard” star’s family announced his aphasia diagnosis earlier this year, which has forced him to step away from acting.
Speaking about Willis’ condition, Stallone, 75, who has been friends with the “Armageddon” actor, 67, for decades, said he’s been “incommunicado” ever since the diagnosis.
“Bruce is going through some really, really difficult times. So he’s been sort of incommunicado. That kills me. It’s so sad,” Sly told The Hollywood Reporter.
Aphasia is a condition that can affect a person’s ability to speak, write and understand language, with treatment including speech and language therapies, according to the Mayo Clinic.
When the actor’s diagnosis was revealed in March, Stallone shared a heartfelt post on Instagram as he sent well wishes to his friend.
“We go back a long way, praying for the best for you and your wonderful family,” he wrote alongside several snaps of the pair.
The silver screen legends met years ago and soon became involved in Planet Hollywood in 1991. The restaurant was also endorsed by Willis’ ex-wife, Demi Moore, and Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Sly and Willis later starred in the hit 2010 film franchise “The Expendables.” The pair’s involvement in the film sparked a major feud between them, which ultimately led to Willis pulling out of the third installment of the film.
Harrison Ford was cast to replace Willis in the film, and Stallone seemingly celebrated the news, tweeting in 2013, “WILLIS OUT…HARRISON FORD IN !!!! GREAT NEWS !!!!! Been waiting years for this!!!!!”
The pair managed to overcome their beef years later and have been good friends ever since.
In March, the actor’s wife, Emma Heming, along with his ex-wife, Moore, and their kids, Rumer, Scout and Tallulah, released a joint statement revealing Willis was retiring due to his health struggles.
“To Bruce’s amazing supporters, as a family we wanted to share that our beloved Bruce has been experiencing some health issues and has recently been diagnosed with aphasia, which is impacting his cognitive abilities,” they wrote on Instagram.
“As a result of this and with much consideration Bruce is stepping away from the career that has meant so much to him,” they continued. “As Bruce always says, ‘Live it up’ and together we plan to do just that.” (PageSix)
