Suzanne Somers shared a beautiful love story with her husband of 46 years, Alan Hamel. The day before she died, he wrote her a heartbreaking, poignant poem that encapsulated that story. According to Somers’ publicist, R. Couri Hay, Somers “read the poem and went to bed and later died peacefully in her sleep.”

Hay shared the letter, which was written in all caps, with PEOPLE. You can read it below. 

Alan Hamel’s Heartbreaking Love Letter

LOVE I USE IT EVERY DAY, SOMETIMES SEVERAL TIMES A DAY. I USE IT AT THE END OF EMAILS TO MY LOVING FAMILY, I EVEN USE IT IN EMAILS TO CLOSE FRIENDS, I USE IT WHEN I’M LEAVING THE HOUSE.

THERE’S LOVE, THEN LOVE YOU AND I LOVE YOU!! THEREIN LIES SOME OF THE DIFFERENT WAYS WE USE LOVE. SOMETIMES I FEEL OBLIGED TO USE LOVE, RESPONDING TO SOMEONE WHO SIGNED LOVE IN THEIR EMAIL, WHEN I’M UNCOMFORTABLE USING LOVE BUT I USE IT ANYWAY.

I ALSO USE LOVE TO DESCRIBE A GREAT MEAL. I USE IT TO EXPRESS HOW I FEEL ABOUT A SHOW ON NETFLIX. I OFTEN USE LOVE REFERRING TO MY HOME, MY CAT GLORIA, TO THINGS GLORIA DOES, TO THE TASTE OF A CANTALOUPE I GREW IN MY GARDEN. I LOVE THE TASTE OF A FRESHLY HARVESTED ORGANIC ROYAL JUMBO MEDJOOL DATE. I LOVE BITING A FIG OFF THE TREE. I LOVE WATCHING TWO GIANT BLACKBIRDS WHO LIVE NEARBY SWOOPING BY MY WINDOW IN A POWER DIVE. MY DAILY LIFE ENCOMPASSES THINGS AND PEOPLE I LOVE AND THINGS AND PEOPLE I AM INDIFFERENT TO.

I COULD GO ON AD INFINITUM, BUT YOU GET IT. WHAT BRAND OF LOVE DO I FEEL FOR MY WIFE SUZANNE? CAN I FIND IT IN ANY OF THE ABOVE? A RESOUNDING NO!!!! THERE IS NO VERSION OF THE WORD THAT IS APPLICABLE TO SUZANNE AND I EVEN USE THE WORD APPLICABLE ADVISEDLY.

THE CLOSEST VERSION IN WORDS ISN’T EVEN CLOSE. IT’S NOT EVEN A FRACTION OF A FRACTION OF A FRACTION. UNCONDITIONAL LOVE DOES NOT DO IT. I’LL TAKE A BULLET FOR YOU DOESN’T DO IT. I WEEP WHEN I THINK ABOUT MY FEELINGS FOR YOU. FEELINGS… THAT’S GETTING CLOSE, BUT NOT ALL THE WAY.

55 YEARS TOGETHER, 46 MARRIED AND NOT EVEN ONE HOUR APART FOR 42 OF THOSE YEARS, EVEN THAT DOESN’T DO IT. EVEN GOING TO BED AT 6 O’CLOCK AND HOLDING HANDS WHILE WE SLEEP DOESN’T DO IT. STARING AT YOUR BEAUTIFUL FACE WHILE YOU SLEEP DOESN’T DO IT.

I’M BACK TO FEELINGS.  THERE ARE NO WORDS. THERE ARE NO ACTIONS. NO PROMISES. NO DECLARATIONS. EVEN THE GREEN SHADED SCHOLARS OF THE OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS HAVE SPENT 150 YEARS AND STILL HAVE FAILED TO COME UP WITH THAT ONE WORD. SO I WILL CALL IT, ‘US’, UNIQUELY, MAGICALLY, INDESCRIBABLY WONDERFUL ‘US.’

Suzanne Somers Died in Her Sleep, Surrounded by Loved Ones

Suzanne Somers died on October 15, one day before her 77th birthday. Her immediate family, including Hamel, and her son, Bruce Somers Jr., was by her side, according to Hay.

The Three’s Company star had been battling an “aggressive form of breast cancer for over 23 years.” The star had gone in and out of remission over the decades. In July, she told fans via Instagram that the cancer had returned. She shared that Hamel was, and had always been, by her side as she fought the disease.

“I can’t even explain how much he has done for me,” she shared. “If it’s even possible, we are even closer than ever.”

Somers and Hamel, a producer and TV host, met on the set of The Anniversary Game in 1969, less than a year after she ended her contemptuous marriage with Bruce Somers. She once said she and Hamel had an instant connection that made her believe they knew each other in another life. The two famously never spent a night apart after saying “I do.”

“No agreement was ever made, just an insatiable desire to be together,” she told PEOPLE. “I can’t imagine a night without him. It sounds corny, but we are one.”

During their lives, the two teamed up for all of Somers’ projects. He worked as her entertainment manager, helped her build her Thighmaster image, and co-ran her organic skincare line.

Somers’ family will meet for a private burial sometime this week. They will hold a memorial next month.