David and Rosanna Arquette Remember Late Sister Alexis: 'So Honored to Have Been Her Sibling' (Exclusive)

Actress and transgender activist Alexis Arquette died at age 47 on Sept. 11, 2016

David Arquette and Rosanna Arquette are remembering their late sister Alexis Arquette.

David, 53, and Rosanna, 65, were on hand at the The Alexis Project's tribute event in Los Angeles on Wednesday, Sept. 11, which commemorated the eighth anniversary of Alexis' death at age 47 in 2016.

"I know Alexis would be really happy," David tells PEOPLE on the red carpet, shouting out friends and collaborators of his sister's and performers she loved who were in attendance at the tribute to Alexis' life and fundraiser for the foundation. "The fact that the Alexis Project is being celebrated tonight and Alexis is being celebrated tonight is really just so important. I know Alexis would be like, 'What took you so long?'

"Yeah, it was hard. It was painful. It was a really tough decision, but she was really stern about it, really powerful about it, really outspoken about it," David says, as he reflects on his sister's decision to come out as a trans woman in the 2000s and subsequent health struggles after a HIV-positive diagnosis.

"She was a fighter, and the roles just dropped off. It didn't allow Alexis to work as much as she would've liked to, but like you said, it did help open the door for people in the future," he adds. "I was just so proud of her, and I'm still so proud of her, so honored to have been her sibling. Growing up with Alexis, Alexis taught me so much about art and music and fashion and humor and loyalty and kindness and friendship and family."

Related: David Arquette Says He Has to 'Go Over a Script a Thousand Times' due to Dyslexia

The fourth youngest of the five Arquette siblings, all of whom are actors, Alexis starred in 1998's The Wedding Singer and had supporting roles in movies like Bride of Chucky and Pulp Fiction. She took a stand as an activist for the transgender community in the later years of her life, which Rosanna recalled fondly while speaking with PEOPLE.

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"She really did. But it wasn't easy, it was painful," Rosanna says of Alexis' approach to activism and her acting career. "And I had a joke with her, like, 'You say you think it's hard to get work as a male actor, wait till you're a woman.' So we would have a big laugh over that."

"We shared a room growing up until 13 or something, and so we shared everything," David adds of growing up with Alexis, whom he says was fond of shooting home videos during their childhood.

Related: The Reality of Living with AIDS: Doctors Weigh in After Alexis Arquette's Death

David and Rosanna's other siblings, Patricia Arquette and Richmond Arquette, were unable to attend the tribute event on Wednesday. The siblings' parents, the late Lewis Arquette and Brenda Olivia Nowak, were also actors.

The Alexis Project was founded in 2016 in Alexis' name following her death. The organization's website states that it was "established to address the unique needs of LGBTQ+ individuals."

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