Valerie Bertinelli Says Heaven Is 'Bright' Following Betty White's Death After Recalling Her 'Gratitude'

Valerie Bertinelli is saying goodbye to Betty White after recently reflecting on the iconic actress' lasting legacy.

Following news of White's death at 99 — just weeks shy of her 100th birthday — on Friday, Bertinelli, 61, tweeted, "Rest in peace, sweet Betty. My God, how bright heaven must be right now."

Bertinelli and White appeared together on TV Land's Hot in Cleveland, which aired from 2010-2015. Bertinelli portrayed Melanie, a divorcee who relocates to Cleveland, Ohio, and leases the home of caretaker Ella, who was portrayed by White.

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The One Day at a Time actress recently spoke with PEOPLE about White ahead of what would have been the latter's landmark birthday. Bertinelli was one of the numerous former costars of White's to share sentiments about her for the cover story. ("We are deeply saddened by the news of Betty White's passing. We are honored that she recently chose to work with PEOPLE to celebrate her extraordinary life and career," PEOPLE's Editor in Chief Dan Wakeford says.)

In the interview, Bertinelli particularly recalled lessons White taught her about gratitude.

Dimitrios Kambouris/WireImage Betty White and Valerie Bertinelli

"That there is gratitude in everything, absolutely everything. I used to think, 'Well, I'm grateful because I had a good day today. I'm going to be grateful for that,' " she explained. "And that's, 'Look at me being all grateful for a good day. No. Gratitude is about everything. Gratitude is about finding the goodness in a challenging day."

She continued, "Betty just oozes gratitude and she glows. I've never met another human being that glows. She's just, she's not of this world. And we are all blessed to have her here."

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Filming Hot in Cleveland with White, Bertinelli said, led to constant laughter. She called White's laugh "the most joyous giggle."

"That giggle that she had. And when you were the one that got that giggle out of her, I mean, [costar] Jane Leeves and I were always trying to make Betty laugh," recounted Bertinelli.

Leeves also spoke to PEOPLE for the issue, and echoed Bertinelli's sentiments about White's infectious giggle.

"Working opposite her, the best part is the giggling," recounted Leeves. "She's a giggler, and that's sort of the best part of your day is when you can actually make Betty laugh. That's kind of easy sometimes I have to say."

In general, Leeves, 60, couldn't say enough kind words about her former costar.

"You know, I always say if you had to send a representative of the human race to a new planet to introduce to aliens, you'd send Betty. Because she's just such a great human being, as well as being a talented actress. She's kind, she's funny, she's sexy, she's accepting. She is forward-thinking. She cares about the planet deeply, and she cares about every living thing deeply."