Remember When ... Mary Tyler Moore Surprised Superfan Oprah Winfrey?

As celebrities react to the passing of TV legend Mary Tyler Moore, we can’t help but recall her influence on another TV queen: Oprah Winfrey.

On The Oprah Winfrey Show in 1997, the talk show host paid tribute to the Mary Tyler Moore Show star during an episode on her “favorite celebrity women,” saying that not only was she “inspired by her” when she was breaking into the TV business as a newswoman in the ’70s, but that Oprah “wanted to be Mary. I wanted to live where she lived. I wanted Mr. Grant in my life. I wanted my boss to act like that.”

Related: Mary Tyler Moore, Pioneer On and Off the Screen, Has Died

A few years earlier, Oprah had showed her superfandom by remaking the opening to Mary’s namesake show — from greeting a puppy on the street to the famous hat toss. That bit was reincorporated into the episode, and Mary called in to tell Oprah she was flattered by the love. But it was just a ruse. The three-named celebrity was actually in the Windy City, and she came out to surprise Oprah.

Watch it here:

Now remember, by that point, Lady O had met all the biggest names in the business (one-name, two-name, and three-name), but she completely lost it when Moore walked out in her shiny coat. Like — screaming, throwing her hands up, and then breaking down in tears.

“Oh, my God” was the first thing Oprah could muster up after Moore gave her a hug. She actually repeated that phase two other times before rendering herself “speechless.”

Related: Celebrities React to the Death of Mary Tyler Moore

After she composed herself — she had to get a tissue during a commercial break, later footage showed — Oprah sat with Mary for a few minutes and poured her heart out.

“You have no idea what you have meant to me,” she told her. “I just want to say there are many times in our lives when, those of us who only had the television for inspiration, you were one of those women who was a light. Maya Angelou says of some people that they have a certain way of being in this world — and that’s what you brought to that character.”

On Wednesday, Oprah paid tribute to Mary on social media. She posted a letter to the late actress on Instagram (along with a photo of Mary’s appearance on her show), writing, “You already know how you majorly influenced my life and career. I respected and admired your business acumen, your passion and compassion for all life, and most importantly, the values espoused through your storytelling. Thank you for being a Light that shined so brightly, it let me see myself in you.”

Oprah also posted a photo from the interview on Twitter. She noted that even all these years later, looking at the photo made her “want to cry. I still can’t believe Mary Tyler Moore touched my face. Will love her 4 ever.”

Moore had many celebrity fans beyond Winfrey, and they’re posting tributes to her. Ashley Tisdale said she “paved the way.” Marlee Matlin called her a “groundbreaker.” Ellen DeGeneres wrote that she “changed the world for all women.”