Ten years after Farrah Fawcett’s passing, her co-star in Charlie’s Angels, Jaclyn Smith, pays tribute to her “brave” and “beautiful” friend.

Smith tells PEOPLE of her late co-choice star’s to go public with her cancer struggle and establish The Farrah Fawcett Foundation to collect money for research and education that “Farrah was tenacious in her fight.”

Who would have imagined that this girl, who was famous for her smile, her hair, and her glitz, would reveal the innermost parts of her soul to the world? Smith quotes Fawcett, who passed away on June 25, 2009, at the age of 62.

Smith recalls the day Fawcett initially revealed her disease to her.

She began to cry as she remarked, “I always imagined I would have breast cancer or heart disease, but never this,” according to Smith. After then, “I never saw her cry.”

Early on, their friendship—which has lasted for decades—was solidified, as was that of Kate Jackson, another Charlie’s Angels co-star.

Smith, 73, remembers their days on the set by saying, “We had each other’s backs.” “Eating in our trailers together was like being in a college dorm. During the weekends, we occasionally went shopping for clothes. We worked together for 40 years as girlfriends in addition to being actresses.

Smith recalls Fawcett’s 1977 decision to end the program after one season: “When Farrah wanted to quit, we all backed her. She didn’t hesitate to declare her intentions. Farrah desired to project the image of a serious actress. She followed her own path. She returned to Playboy and posed at age 50 after being approved as an actress. From being a serious actor to being one once more. Never once was there a dull moment.

She remarks on the show in retrospect: “That transformed our life. We resembled rock stars in several ways. We had guards on duty round-the-clock when we traveled to Hawaii for the start of the season. The influence of Charlie’s Angels helped define who we were and where we went even though we all continued to do our own things.

The two became further closer as Fawcett’s life came to an end.

Smith recalls that Farah gave him a homemade German chocolate cake during one of their last meetings. Later, I discovered her in my closet. She wanted to try on a pair of my shoes despite the fact that she had swollen legs after her therapy. A true girlfriend, she was.

Smith went to see Farrah at her Los Angeles apartment during their most recent encounter. She was in discomfort and unable to remain still, Smith said. I was massaging her feet in an effort to cheer her up. And that put her at ease. We must have discussed our lives, our children, and growing up in Texas for three hours. The nicest time I had was at the end when I was with Farrah because we valued our friendship.

She reflects: “What I remember about Farrah is that as much of an eight-by-10 glossy as she was, she was the friend who encouraged me, the girl who loved her parents, the girl down the street.”

Together, we experienced life’s highs and lows, joy and sorrow, adds Smith, who is now concentrating on a variety of business endeavors, including a new beauty care brand.

The former Angel says, “I miss her every day. “It’s difficult that so many individuals have left us today. It’s acceptable to miss someone, and I miss them.