Details About Demi Moore's Chaotic First Marriage

Years before Demi Moore captivated audiences in "Ghost" and built a family with Bruce Willis, her life had its share of lesser-known chapters, including a first marriage that many might not be aware of. In 1980, when she was 17 years old, Demi married musician Freddy Moore, who was 12 years her senior. While they did connect on a creative level, even co-writing songs together, their union was far from blissful. Demi opened up about their relationship in 2019's "Inside Out."

Reflecting on her mindset at the time, Demi shared a haunting confession. "The night before we got married, instead of working on my vows, I was calling a guy I'd met on a movie set," she wrote in her memoir (via People). This revelation hints at the uncertainty she felt about the marriage, a relationship she seemingly entered into while grappling with deep emotional pain.

Freddy Moore, best known for his work in the Los Angeles music scene with his band The Nu-Kats, would go on to be a footnote in Demi Moore's stunning life story. But this chapter of her youth helped shape the woman she would later become, for better or worse. 

As it turns out, Demi Moore's decision to marry Freddy Moore wasn't born out of love, but rather as a way to distract herself from the overwhelming grief she was grappling with in the wake of her stepfather's recent death. Demi shed light on how she didn't realize how much her unresolved emotions would affect her choices. "I snuck out of my own bachelorette party and went to [another man's] apartment," she confessed in "Inside Out" (via People). "I couldn't face the fact that I was getting married to distract myself from grieving the death of my father. Because I felt there was no room to question what I'd already put in motion. I couldn't get out of the marriage, but I could sabotage it."

Her marriage to Freddy Moore would ultimately dissolve after five years, and it was a pivotal experience that taught her about the complexities of love, loss, and healing. While Freddy moved on from the spotlight, the "General Hospital" actor's star continued to rise, and she eventually became a bona fide Hollywood icon. In 1987, just two years after her split from her musician ex, she married Bruce Willis and they had three daughters. After Demi and Willis divorced in 2000, she went on to marry Ashton Kutcher in 2005; by 2013, Kutcher and Demi's marriage was over.  

On her personal blog, Freddy Moore's third wife, Renee Moore, shared that he'd been diagnosed with Alzheimer's. He received his diagnosis in 2014 and he died in 2022 at age 72. Demi's second husband, Bruce Wills, was diagnosed with aphasia in 2022 and dementia in 2023.