After Smith’s passing on Sept. 27 at 89, her Sister Act co-star Whoopi Goldberg honored her with a touching tribute on social media, calling her “brilliant” and “one-of-a-kind.”
Smith’s Compassionate Support For Goldberg
Just a few months earlier, Goldberg, 68, had shared a heartfelt story about how Smith’s friendship went beyond their time together on set in the ’90s — supporting her during the difficult period before Goldberg’s mother’s passing in 2010.
In an interview with PEOPLE in May, while discussing her memoir Bits and Pieces: My Mother, My Brother, and Me, Goldberg reflected on the moment she found out her mother, Emma Harris, was on life support due to an aneurysm. At the time, Goldberg was in London performing in the stage adaptation of Sister Act when she received the news from her brother, Clyde K. Johnson.
Goldberg mentioned in her book that Smith was visiting the production.
After receiving the call, Goldberg shared that Maggie Smith stayed on the phone with her for five hours before she boarded a flight to the hospital. There, Goldberg and her brother made the difficult decision to take their mother off life support.
“She Had Met My Mom A Couple Of Times”
“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. And she had met my mom a couple of times. Just having somebody who got it, who understood, it’s everything,” she added.
In her heartfelt social media tribute to Maggie Smith, Goldberg reflected on their time working together on Sister Act(1992) and its sequel Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit (1993). Goldberg played lounge singer Deloris, while Smith portrayed the unforgettable Mother Superior.
“Maggie Smith was a great woman and a brilliant actress. I still can’t believe I was lucky enough to work with the ‘one-of-a-kind,’” Goldberg captained the post.
“My heartfelt condolences go out to the family…RIP,” she ended.
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