CNN
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Kelsey Grammer is paying tribute to his friend and former costar Kirstie Alley, who died from cancer in December at age 71.

During an appearance on “The Rachael Ray Show,” Grammer said Alley was “radiant.”

“I loved Kirstie,” he said. “She was always beautiful. She just had that thing about her. She was a radiant human being and that came through her.”

He added: “She knew how to love. She was so honest in her emotions all the time.”

Grammer remembered a time when he “got in trouble with the law” and said Alley was one of the only people who really supported him.

“She showed up,” he said. “She was one of the only ones who really showed up to be supportive and that was magnificent. She always made me laugh. Everything she did made me giggle. The first time I went to her house there were lemurs living on the property and I thought, only in Kirstie world.”

One of the last times he was set to see her was at a book signing for a friend, but Grammer said she did not end up attending.

“Kirstie was noticeably missing and about a week later she was gone,” he said.

Ray responded that she was also fond of Alley, telling Grammer: “I’m just blessed that I even knew her and I’m thrilled that you shared some of those thoughts with us. Thank you, my friend.”