Message from Father to Adult Daughter: Normal or Abmormal?

One of my best friends received a message from her estranged father today, which she sent me a copy of. Until recently, they had not been in contact for almost 15 years (I’ve known her since college, and they were already estranged by that point). I have always suspected that there was a history of abuse, but she never talked about it, and I never had the heart to ask her what happened between them.

Today, he randomly sent her a message, asking her to never forget how much he loved her and that he’s never stopped loving her, then proceeds to tell her that she is “the love of his life.”

I got the worst feeling in the pit of my stomach when I read that line. I actually said, “Ewww!” out loud when I read it. Something about the tone of the message, and that line specifically, gave me the creeps.

Question: Am I taking the statement the wrong way, or is this normal for a man to say about his daughter. I, myself, was never close with my father, so maybe my feelings on the matter are off.

Thanks in advance for your opinions on the matter. I want to broach the issue with her because I know that the message bothered her more than she’s letting on, but I’m not sure if I’m reading too much into it.