For Rita Wilson, turning 50 wasn’t just a milestone — it was a rebirth.

According to the actress and musician, she received sage advice from her late friend, the writer-filmmaker Nora Ephron, in the form of a champagne toast. “She said, ‘I’m here to tell you that great things happen after the age of 50,'” Wilson, now 69, tells PEOPLE while beaming at a home in the Hollywood Hills.

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