Just days after the Oscars, sad news comes out of Hollywood. The family of legendary movie star Bruce Willis has announced he is stepping back from acting due to a medical condition called “Aphasia.”

The news is pretty shocking given the fact that Bruce Willis is only 67 years old and has been working pretty consistently over the past few years. Obviously, Willis is probably best known as the star of the Die Hard movie series as rogue NYC detective John McClane. In an era of oversized action stars like Stallone and Schwarzeneggar, he always stood out as the wisecracking super-cop that relied on his wits as much as his brawn to save the day.

Bruce Willis is a Philly legend.

Bruce Willis grew up in South Jersey, and a number of his most iconic roles were shot in Philadelphia. 12 Monkeys, Sixth Sense, Unbreakable, and Glass were all filmed in the city. 

Thanks to his haunting performance in The Sixth Sense, the actor will always be linked to the city. Looking back on that movie and its twist ending it’s actually kind of surprising how much of the film hinges upon how he sells his final few minutes on screen. If he isn’t up to the task the entire movie falls apart.

Bruce Willis even threw out the first pitch at a Phillies game once.

During one memorable moment, the actor even stopped by Citizens Bank Park to throw out the first pitch and take batting practice with the Phillies. He bounced the pitch and got booed mercilessly by the crowd. He took it all in stride and laughed it off.

A true pro.

There’s no way to sugarcoat this news. This is an incredible bummer if you’re a movie fan. It’s weird to see such a prolific career come to an abrupt end. Now let’s all watch the trailer for Unbreakable to cheer ourselves up. Easily one of the greatest trailers of all time.

Mandatory Credit:  Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports