Dame Maggie Smith wasn’t just a costar to Whoopi Goldberg. She was also a friend who, at one point, offered meaningful emotional support.
After Smith’s death on Sept. 27 at age 89, her Sister Act costar Goldberg called her both “brilliant” and “one-of-a-kind” in a heartfelt social media tribute.
Just months before, Goldberg, 68, shared a powerful story about how Smith’s friendship extended even beyond their time on set together in the ’90s — as she was also there for her ahead of the death of Goldberg’s mother in 2010.
Speaking with PEOPLE back in May about her memoir Bits and Pieces: My Mother, My Brother, and Me, Goldberg recalled the moment she learned her mother, Emma Harris, was on life support following an aneurysm. At the time, Goldberg was in London performing in the stage adaptation of Sister Act when she learned the news from her brother, Clyde K. Johnson.
Smith was visiting the production, Goldberg …