Entertainment TV Bonnie Hunt Reveals She and Mom Were 'Roommates' During COVID Before Her Death: 'Grateful We Had That Time' "It was just an honor, privilege and a gift to spend all that time with her," the actress said of living with her mother before she passed away last year By Alexis Jones Alexis Jones Alexis Jones is a writer-reporter at PEOPLE. She has been working at PEOPLE since 2022. Her work has previously appeared on Daily Bruin. People Editorial Guidelines Published on July 28, 2022 02:00PM EDT Photo: Eric Charbonneau Bonnie Hunt and her mother were as close as mother and daughter can be. Hunt, 60, shared with PEOPLE that during the COVID lockdown, she "was roommates" with her mother Alice, who "passed away last year of natural causes in her sleep." "The last few years ... it was an emotional time for me. I was roommates with my beautiful, awesome, talented, wise [and] loving mom. And I'm so grateful we had all that time," Hunt shared with PEOPLE. "We were just together. But it was just an honor, privilege and a gift to spend all that time with her," she added. Hilary Duff, Bonnie Hunt and Their Cheaper by the Dozen Cast Revisit Their Characters Virtually Michael Roman/Getty EXCLUSIVE: Bonnie & Charlie Search For a New Friend The beloved actress revealed the piece of advice her mother gave her that she takes into account with every project she does. "My mom always said, 'Be mindful of the energy you're putting into the universe because it has a ripple effect,'" Hunt recalled. "And so when I'm writing a story, I think, 'Oh, this will make people laugh and feel something and maybe get choked up once in a while.'" Hunt also spoke with PEOPLE about her "fun" time on Instagram and Twitter so far, though she sometimes has to "take a pause on social media" because of her mother's death. "Honestly, I'm just still grieving my mom, and I guess a part of me always will be, but definitely want to persevere and be as strong as she was through the many losses she had in her life," Hunt said. Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories Hunt's new series Amber Brown premieres Friday on Apple TV+.