Elizabeth Taylor’s Death: Saying Goodbye to a Legend

Elizabeth Taylor is dead at the age of 79

Such sad news to wake up to today – Hollywood icon Elizabeth Taylor has died this morning after suffering congestive heart failure. She was 79.

Elizabeth Taylor was one of the biggest Hollywood legends to rise out of Hollywood’s classic Golden Age. An era which, sadly, is only a memory these days.

Born in Britain in 1932, Elizabeth Taylor was a dual citizen due to the fact that her parents were American (originally from Kansas) and was born on British soil. At a young age, Liz and her family moved back to the United States, settling in Los Angeles, a move that most likely changed their lives forever.

By age nine, Elizabeth Taylor had a contract with Universal Pictures, and by 12 she had signed with MGM and appeared in the film National Velvet, which shot the young and beautiful actress to stardom. From there, there was no looking back. Elizabeth Taylor is a true Hollywood legend who never wavered from the A-list, and will forever be remembered for her grace and beauty.

Not only was Elizabeth a striking beauty, she was a humanitarian. After losing her good friend Rock Hudson to AIDS in 1985, she created the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation which has raised hundreds of millions of dollars to help fight the disease. Liz also helped to start the American Foundation for AIDS Research.

In her lifetime, Elizabeth Taylor was married eight different times and had four children. Her husbands and children, in order:

• Conrad “Nicky” Hilton (May 6th, 1950 –  January 29, 1951)
• Michael Wilding (February 21, 1952 – January 26 1957) Children: Michael (1953) and Christopher (1955)
• Michael Todd (February 2, 1957 – March 22, 1958) *widowed* Children: Elizabeth “Liza” (1957)
• Eddie Fisher (May 12, 1959 – March 6, 1964)
• Richard Burton (March 15, 1964 – June 26 1974)
• Richard Burton (October 10, 1975 – July 2, 1976) Children: Maria Burton (adopted 1964)
• John Warner (December 4, 1976 – November 7,1982)
• Larry Fortensky (October 6, 1991 – October 31, 1996)

In 2004 Elizabeth Taylor was diagnosed with congestive heart failure and in 2009 she had a leaky valve replaced. She died on March 23, 2011 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, surrounded by her children.

Elizabeth Taylor’s oldest child, Michael Wilding, 58, released the following statement to the media regarding his mother’s death:

“My Mother was an extraordinary woman who lived life to the fullest, with great passion, humor, and love. Though her loss is devastating to those of us who held her so close and so dear, we will always be inspired by her enduring contribution to our world. Her remarkable body of work in film, her ongoing success as a businesswoman, and her brave and relentless advocacy in the fight against HIV/AIDS, all make us all incredibly proud of what she accomplished. We know, quite simply, that the world is a better place for Mom having lived in it. Her legacy will never fade, her spirit will always be with us, and her love will live forever in our hearts.”

Well said. We will miss you, Liz!

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Elizabeth Taylor Trivia:

Did you know…

• Elizabeth Taylor was born with two rows of eyelashes, something which got her noticed as a young girl, and helped to land her an interview with Universal Studios.
• In 1944, while filming National Velvet, Taylor fell from a horse. She had back problems for the rest of her life after the nasty fall.
• By the age of 16 Elizabeth Taylor had the nickname “One Shot Liz,” as she had a reputation for filming her scenes in one take.
• Pregnancy got in the way of accepting a role in the 1954 film, Elephant Walk. A role had been created just for Elizabeth, but she was unable to accept it. Instead, Vivien Leigh, who was 20-years older than Elizabeth, won the role. While filming in Sri Lanka, (which was named Ceylon at the time) Vivien suffered a nervous breakdown and Liz won the role back after giving birth to her baby.
• In 1960, Elizabeth Taylor was offered one million dollars to star in Cleopatra. It was during filming that she and Richard Burton (both married) began to have an affair. It was quite scandalous at the time.
• Can you name all THREE Elizabeth Taylor fragrances? White Diamonds, Passion and Black Pearls.
• Elizabeth Taylor was a longtime friend of Michael Jackson’s and attended his lavish funeral in 2009.