"My God, leave Bruce Willis alone already!"

It came as a shock to many fans at the beginning of this year: not only will Bruce Willis never return to the big screen, he also suffers from a rare form of dementia. His family often shows the Hollywood star on social media and thus also how rapidly his mental decline is progressing. This is met with approval, but also criticism.

An old man sits on a chair in his shower. His gray hair is curling at the back of his neck and he can only be seen from behind. His son is bent over him, lovingly soaping his father's back. He slowly glides the sponge over the wet skin. Tears trickle down his cheeks at seeing the old man in such a state. And yet it is a moment full of affection and care. Then he takes a shower and rinses the soap off his father's back, whose body is still there, but whose spirit disappears a little more every day.

This intimate moment is a film scene with which the son, who is also the director of the film, wants to draw attention to Alzheimer's disease. And also what such a diagnosis means for the whole family. The burden, the powerlessness, the sadness that a loved one is still physically present, but nevertheless far away.

I know this burden, which can also be a trauma, from my own family. I also lost my father to an illness that was taboo in society for a long time. When I close my eyes today, I can still see my father sitting half-crouched in the shower, unable to pull his white fine-rib undershirt over his head.

Dear readers, in today's celebrity column, I would like to talk to you about a controversial, very sensitive topic. I'm torn on this subject and am keen to hear your opinion. Of course, as always, this column is about a celebrity, but the discussion goes far beyond that.

"He has a right to privacy"

Earlier this year, Bruce Willis' family announced that the Hollywood star was suffering from frontotemporal dementia, a very rare form of mental decline. The disease is said to be caused by damage to the regions of the brain located directly behind the forehead, which are important for speech, movement and a person's entire personality and consciousness, among other things.

On the occasion of Dementia Awareness Week 2023, Bruce Willis' wife drew attention to her husband's fate and how "hard" the disease is for the whole family. She said she did not even know whether the 68-year-old was aware of his illness. Dignified pictures of the action icon surrounded by his loved ones were shown on American TV.

In recent months, the family, especially his daughters, have repeatedly shared photos and videos with their father on social media. In Instagram stories, the man who became known to an audience of millions with cult films such as "Die Hard", "The Sixth Sense" and "Pulp Fiction" can be seen gazing off into space. It was recently announced that Bruce Willis could no longer speak. The images of the great action hero of the 80s are now the subject of lively discussions, which often become heated and boil over.

It seems as if there are (only) two sides here. One that welcomes the family's behavior, the other that criticizes it: "I don't think he wants his illness to be shown to the whole world. He has a right to privacy".

The other voices say: "These pictures should be viewed from the perspective of education and show how devastating this disease is for those affected, but also for family members."

Other comments read as follows: "The Bruce Willis you think you know from his movies doesn't exist anymore! The only real Bruce is the one his daughters show in the videos. And they do what they personally think is right. That's worth more than the opinion of people who have never met their father." He continues: "It's all well and good what the daughters think is the right thing to do: I'm of the opinion that you have to respect the sick and not show your father's illness-related decline to strangers on social media. (...) Doesn't he have the right to live his illness in private?"

Raising awareness and educating people about dementia?

Tens of thousands are of the opinion that fans should be shown the reality, namely that all people are mortal, rich and famous as well as poor. And that there are diseases that cannot be cured with any money in the world, no matter how much you have. They ask: Why shouldn't we get to know the real everyday life of Bruce Willis? After all, the Hollywood star is also a private person and not one of the people he once embodied on screen.

I think again of my own father and the importance of raising awareness of diseases that have long been taboo. But the question of "how?" is a big one for me. And that's why, in this context, I understand all those who criticize the public exposure of the enraptured father as an invasion of Willis' privacy and write: "My God, leave Bruce Willis alone already!"

We see the star, who once possessed supernatural abilities as David Dunn in "Unbreakable", surrounded by his family. Sometimes he smiles, sometimes he has his eyes closed. The fact that his dementia is progressing rapidly cannot be overlooked. And now I ask you, dear reader: Would it be ethical for you to share intimate moments of your ill loved one in public, especially when the person concerned may no longer be able to understand the implications of their consent?

In the midst of this debate, the line between raising awareness and the right to privacy seems increasingly blurred. I can only speak for myself personally and believe that we still have a long way to go to show that serious illness is part of life. I understand the desire to raise awareness in society, but I also have the utmost respect for an individual's right to privacy, especially in such sensitive and personal matters as dementia.