In the wake of Mary Tyler Moore’s death, some of her co-stars have already begun to pay tribute. In a heartfelt statement sent to Vanity Fair, Cloris Leachman, who played Phyllis Lindstrom on The Mary Tyler Moore Show—and its spin-off Phyllis—described her former co-star as “America‘s sweetheart,” and confirmed that the actress’s sunny image, which fans came to love throughout her mold-breaking decades on television, was true to her real-life personality.

“My heart goes out to her husband, Robert,” Leachman wrote, continuing, “he was never more than a touch away from her. The picture that we all have of her, that’s how she was—sweet, kind, so tender, so delicate. She was America’s sweetheart. Valerie [Harper] and I always had to rehearse and rehearse to work things through, but Mary was always ready to go, thoroughly prepared. The last time I saw her was our Hot In Cleveland reunion. I had a feeling I wouldn’t see her again. If I could see her one last time, I’d hold her in my arms and say, We loved you.”

Another tribute came from Ed Asner, who starred as Minneapolis TV news producer Lou Grant—once again, in both the sitcom and in his own spin-off, Lou Grant, which brought the character to Los Angeles. (Mary Tyler Moore inspired three spin-offs, starting with Rhoda in 1974.)