Bruce Willis is stepping away from acting after being diagnosed with aphasia, with his family announcing the news of the actor's retirement. After getting his start with a handful of guest starring and uncredited roles in film and TV, Willis began to rise to stardom with his leading role on the ABC series Moonlighting, in which he starred alongside Cybill Shepherd as private detective David Addison Jr. Willis would earn three Golden Globe and two Primetime Emmy nominations for his performance in the series.

Willis' career would further take off on the big screen near the end of Moonlighting's run when he was cast as the iconic action hero John McClane for 1988's Die Hard, whose success would go on to spawn a franchise of four sequels. In the years since, Willis has starred in a number of critical and commercial hits, including The Last Boy Scout, The Fifth Element, Pulp Fiction and The Sixth Sense, as well as a number of duds, such as Hudson Hawk and a slew of direct-to-video movies. Though Willis enjoyed a minor return to stardom in the mid 2010s with his turns in the RED franchise and M. Night Shyamalan's Unbreakable sequelsSplit and Glass, it appears his time has come to an end.

Related: Every Movie Bruce Willis Regretted Making

After nearly 50 years in the industry, Bruce Willis is officially stepping away from acting after being diagnosed with aphasia. The star's daughter, actress Rumer Willis, took to Instagram to confirm the news, releasing a statement in which he cites his career as having "meant so much to him." See Willis' family's statement below:

Click here to see the original post

Aphasia is a neurological condition generally associated with stroke or head trauma that results in a person's speech or language becoming significantly impaired in one or more aspects of communication, sometimes causing those afflicted with it to have troubles finding words, reading or writing. Given Willis' extensive time in the action genre, it does seem possible that the Golden Globe nominee's diagnosis stems from his earlier career work. However, given Willis' age of 67 years old, it also seems possible the actor has had other health concerns that have been kept private by his family.

Regardless of how his aphasia diagnosis came to be, Bruce Willis stepping away from acting is sure to come as bittersweet news for fans of the actor. Though his recent years have seen him star in a number of poorly received VOD titles, his legacy in the industry is sure to overshadow said films and leave many disappointed in the lack of future Willis performances, be they good or Razzie worthy. At the very least, audiences can take comfort in Willis being able to spend the extra time with his family and get the care he needs.

More: Every Bruce Willis Action Movie Ranked From Worst To Best

Source: Rumer Willis/Instagram