Taraji P. Henson wrote an emotional farewell to Katherine Johnson, the NASA mathematician who was the inspiration behind her character in the 2016 Oscar-nominated film “Hidden Figures,” on Monday. Her post came after it was announced that Johnson had died at the age of 101.

Johnson provided many incredible feats during her career at NASA, but thanks to “Hidden Figures,” the public is now aware of her biggest contribution — calculations done by hand that confirmed the safety of John Glenn’s 1962 space flight, as Entertainment Weekly reports.

In her Instagram tribute, Henson thanked Johnson for teaching “little girls EVERYWHERE” that they “can dream as big as the MOON!!!”

“Your legacy will live on FOREVER AND EVER!!! You ran so we could fly!!! I will forever be honored to have been apart of bringing your story to life," Henson continued. “God bless your beautiful family. I am so honored to have sat and broke bread with you all. My thoughts and prayers are with you.”

As EW reported, Henson met Johnson’s family during preparations for “Hidden Figures” while she and director Theodore Melfi were researching for the film.

“We sat and talked and went through photo albums. Her children were there, and her grandchildren. I really felt a responsibility when her children met me,” Henson said in 2015.

During the 2017 Academy Awards, Henson brought Johnson on stage with her and her “Hidden Figures” co-stars, Janelle Monáe and Octavia Spencer, to a round of applause from the audience for her contributions to science.

Johnson was 101.

Taraji P. Henson
Taraji P. Henson is pictured attending the 90th Annual Academy Awards on March 4, 2018, in Hollywood, California. Valerie Macon/AFP/Getty Images
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