How Maggie Smith Comforted “Sister Act” Costar Whoopi Goldberg When She Learned Her Mom Was on Life Support

Smith, who died at age 89 on Sept. 27, starred alongside Goldberg in 'Sister Act' and its 1993 sequel

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 wrote in her book.

Related: Whoopi Goldberg Remembers Sister Act Costar Maggie Smith After Her Death: 'A Great Woman and a Brilliant Actress'

After Goldberg got the call, Smith spoke with her for five hours before she caught a flight to the hospital, where she and her bother would take Harris off of life support.

“Having Maggie Smith be there, and being able to fall apart and having her say, ‘Listen, my friend. We'll get you through this. We'll get you through this. We'll get you to the hospital so you can get her. Get you back to Berkeley so you can get home,’” Goldberg told PEOPLE in May.

“We were up all night, just laughing and talking about stuff,” she added. “And she had met my mom a couple of times. Just having somebody who got it, who understood, it's everything.”

Related: Why Harry Potter's Director Once Said Maggie Smith Was Perfect for Her Role: Both 'Intimidating' and Full of 'Heart'

In her social media tribute to Smith, Goldberg briefly recalled her time working with the late Harry Potter star. The pair starred together in 1992's Sister Act and the 1993 sequel Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit, in which Goldberg portrayed lounge singer Deloris and Smith played the memorable Mother Superior.

"Maggie Smith was a great woman and a brilliant actress," Goldberg wrote, alongside a photo of the duo on set. "I still can’t believe I was lucky enough to work with the 'one-of-a-kind.'"

"My heartfelt condolences go out to the family…RIP," she concluded.

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Other notable figures have honored the distinguished British actress following her death this week, including King Charles and Queen Camilla, who released a statement on Friday.

"My wife and I were deeply saddened to learn of the death of Dame Maggie Smith. As the curtain comes down on a national treasure, we join all those around the world in remembering with the fondest admiration and affection her many great performances, and her warmth and wit that shone through both on and off the stage," the King said in a statement.

Smith's sons, Toby Stephens and Chris Larkin, announced the news of their mother's death via publicist Clair Dobbs, writing that she "passed away peacefully in hospital" early that morning.

"An intensely private person, she was with friends and family at the end," they wrote of the two-time Academy Award winner. "She leaves two sons and five loving grandchildren who are devastated by the loss of their extraordinary mother and grandmother."

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