WHOOPI GOLDBERG

Newman watched over the actress-turned-talk show host during two health scares - and she remains eternally grateful.

Speaking on her U.S. talk show The View, Goldberg says, "He was one of the best people I've ever known. I got very sick 15 or 20 years ago, to the point when I almost died. I was in a coma, and when I woke up, sitting on the window sill in my hospital room was Paul Newman. I thought to myself, 'am I dead'?

She adds of the second time Newman came to her rescue: "When he first introduced the Newman's Own Lemonade, the catchline was 'it restores virginity'. We did a photoshoot with him holding the lemonade and me standing by a pool of water.

"After the shoot we went to dinner, then I went home and got very sick at the hotel. They took me to the hospital and he wouldn't leave until he knew I was OK.

"I'm going to celebrate his passing - he was a great man."

Newman died on Friday (26Sep08) from cancer at the age of 83.

Source: WENN