Whoopi Goldberg has added her voice to a line-up of stars paying tribute to Maggie Smith.
As we previously reported, Maggie recently passed away at the age of 89.
He and Whoopi co-starred in the 1992 comedy Beloved sister Actas well as its 1993 sequel, Sister Act 2: Back into habit.
In the decades that followed, the two screen giants remained close friends.
And Whoopi credits Maggie for providing much-needed support after her mother passed away in 2010.
Whoopi Goldberg Remembers Maggie Smith
Shortly after the news of Maggie’s death became public, Whoopi posted a photo of the two of them on set, along with an emotional caption.
“Maggie Smith was a great woman and a brilliant actress. I still can’t believe I was so lucky to get to work with ‘One of a Kind,'” Goldberg wrote, adding:
“My heartfelt condolences to the family…RIP.”
a lasting friendship
This wasn’t the first time Whoopi has mentioned Maggie in recent months.
In a recent interview he recalled his mother’s death. PeopleGoldberg praised Smith for helping her cope with the grief.
“Having Maggie Smith there, and stepping aside and telling him, ‘Listen, my friend. We’ll get you through this.’ We’ll get you through this,” Goldberg said.
“We’ll take you to the hospital so you can have him. Take you back to Berkeley so you can get home,” he continued.
“We stayed up all night, just laughing and talking about things. And she had met my mother several times. Just having someone who got it, who understood, that’s everything.”
Whoopi also mentions Maggie while discussing the possibility of a Sister Act 3 During a recent podcast interview.
“We can’t do this to anyone else but you,” he told Smith, addressing his friend on the air.
Whoopi said, “So, if you want me to come over here and shoot it and do whatever we have to do, we’ll do whatever you want us to do.” “But we don’t want to do it without you, Maggie.”
a sad announcement
Maggie’s death was announced this morning by her sons, who revealed that she died “peacefully” in hospital.
“An extremely private person, she was at her last breath surrounded by friends and family,” the statement said.
“She leaves behind two sons and five beloved grandchildren who are heartbroken by the loss of their extraordinary mother and grandmother.”
Maggie’s sons added, “We would like to take this opportunity to thank the wonderful staff at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital for their care and unwavering kindness during her final days.”
“We thank you for all of your kind messages and support and ask that you respect our privacy at this time.”
Our thoughts are with Maggie’s loved ones during this extremely difficult moment.