- Comedy icon Bill Murray got choked up discussing his pal Bruce Willis
- Willis was diagnosed with a form of Dementia in 2023
- The Die Hard actor turned 70 earlier this year
Comedy icon Bill Murray has only nice things to say about his dear friend Bruce Willis – so much so that recalling their long-standing friendship made him emotional in a recent interview.
Willis, 70, was diagnosed with Frontotemporal dementia in 2023 and has since retired from acting and stepped away from the public eye.
Read more: Bruce Willis’ family share 70th birthday update
The Ghostbusters star was recently featured on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen to promote his new movie The Friend. During the pair’s conversation, Murray was invited to reflect on his work with his frequent collaborator Wes Anderson.
Murray has appeared in nine of Anderson’s movies, with his tenth appearance due later this year in The Phoenician Scheme.
Read more: Bruce Willis wife makes plea after Gene Hackman death
Anderson’s 2012 feature Moonrise Kingdom brought Murray alongside Willis and it was while discussing this movie that the Saturday Night Live legend shared a touching story about the Die Hard star.
Bill Murray chokes up at Bruce Willis NBC Page story
“I got to work with, and I got to have a wonderful time with Bruce Willis, [who] we should remember today. He just had a birthday,” he said, highlighting how Willis has recently turned 70.
“Bruce willis is a good guy, a good f*cking guy. He was a good friend,” he added. Murray then recalled his first meeting with Willis, back before he was famous.
“Bruce Willis was a page at NBC when I was at Saturday Night Live… his job was to come to the dressing rooms and refill the M&MS and pretzels kind of thing in actor’s rooms.
|I remember when I met him after he was already a successful guy, he said ‘You and Gilda were nice to me,'” explained Murray, referencing his SNL co-star Gilda Radner.
It was at this point where Murray got visibly emotional. “And I thought okay.. I always thought okay I’m good with this guy. He was a good guy.”
Watch the full clip above.
The Die Hard icon turns 70
Since Willis was diagnosed with Dementia, he has largely remained abscent from the public eye. However, his friends and family have posted regular updates on his condition, with his wife Emma Hemming Willis recently celebrating the star’s 70th birthday.
Hemming shared a picture of Willis standing on a quad bike with the caption, “It’s Bruce’s birthday, and if there’s one thing I know, it’s that there’s no greater fan than a Bruce fan.
“So flood him with all the love today, he will feel it, I swear he will. You are one powerful bunch. I love how you rally for him, and I’m so grateful that he has you.”
The post received over 7,000 comments.
