Bruce Willis’ ‘painful days’ as he battles dementia, daughter says: ‘We’d be great friends if we had more time’

Tallulah Willis is opening up about her father Bruce Willis’ battle with frontotemporal dementia.

The 30-year-old shared an update on her father’s condition during her appearance on Today on Wednesday, when Hoda Kotb mentioned Tallulah’s touching first-person article for Vogue in 2023.

“I have certain hopes for my father that I don’t want to give up,” the “Bandits” actress wrote in a personal essay. “I’ve always recognized elements of his personality in me, and I just know that if we had more time we would have been better friends.”

Kotb admitted the sentiment touched her, too, and she then asked how Kotb, 69, was feeling amid her health struggles.

“He’s stable, which is a good thing in this situation,” Tallulah shared. “It’s hard. There are some painful days, but there’s a lot of love. And it’s really taught me to not take any moment for granted and I really think we’ll be the best of friends. I think he’s very proud of me.”

In addition to Tallulah, Bruce has two daughters, Rumer (36) and Scout (33), with ex-wife Demi Moore.

And the 61-year-old “Substance” actress has some great advice for Tallulah on dealing with her father’s illness.

“You have to be in the moment, live in the present,” he said.

Bruce’s family, including his wife Emma Heming Willis, announced his death in February 2023 at the age of 67 from frontotemporal dementia, which can cause communication difficulties.

In August, Tallulah told PEOPLE that the “Die Hard” actor “is doing the same as per the last update we gave, which I’m told is good. But no matter what day it is, my family and I go meet him wherever he is.”

He also spoke openly about his diagnosis of autism.

“I was misdiagnosed for many years — I was diagnosed at 29 — which is very common for adult women. It felt very new to me, so it was only last year that I learned all the terms and got a handle on them,” she explained on Today.

“It was very emotional. It was [a] Relief. If I’m honest, I hated myself so much and felt so broken,” Tallulah continued. “So, knowing that those parts of me that I thought were sick or wrong or too much for this world are actually okay and maybe just need a little more support has given me a lot more grace for myself.”

These days, the California native has spent the past year raising awareness and being a voice for the community.

“Ever since I was a kid, people looked down on me. So it was really important for me to use that platform to talk about this,” Tallulah confessed. “I wasn’t sure how I would talk about it… but I always knew I felt a responsibility to really make it meaningful because there are so many people like me who are struggling.”