Actor Vicki Lawrence is shocked to hear the death of Betty White, her co-star and longtime friend, who died last week at age 99, just a few weeks shy of her 100th birthday.

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The two actresses met when they co-starred on The Carol Burnett Show (1967–78), where Lawrence originated the character of Thelma Harper while White played one of Thelma’s daughters, Ellen. They went on to reprise their roles in the series spinoff, Mama’s Family, in the ’80s, and would appear on several on shows together, including game shows like Super Password, and remained close.

“I was sending somebody an email the other day and notification popped up on my phone and I went, ‘No!’ This is like the period at the end of a fucking year,” Lawrence says of how she learned of White’s death.

Talking about the first time they met, Lawrence said, ” We met on the set of The Carol Burnett Show, when she was a guest on the show. I don’t remember the first meeting.”

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“But I remember how she would talk about starting out in television. I remember talking to her one time and saying, “When I was a little girl, I used to watch Al Jarvis (one of the hosts of Hollywood on Television) all the time. And she said, “That was me. And I went, ‘Oh, my God, that was my childhood, and I wasn’t aware of it.’” (White co-hosted the show with Jarvis and later Eddie Albert; after they left, she hosted it alone and is credited with being the first solo female talk show host on TV.)

:In the early days of television, hardly anybody had TVs, and she was already working in television. Our No. 1 television historian just left us. She was the No. 1 person who could tell you all about how it was.”

She also revealed the last words White spoke before leaving for the heavenly abode.

“I hadn’t been able to reach her lately. I wrote her a long letter a while back but she did not answer, which was unlike her. I knew she was not well, and this was coming, but it was still sad not to hear from her.

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“I talked to Carol yesterday, and we agreed it is so fucking hard to watch the people you love go away. She said she spoke to Betty’s assistant, who was with her when she passed, and she said the last word out of her mouth was “Allen.” That’s so lovingly sweet. I hope that is true,” she sums up.