The violet-eyed film goddess whose screen life was often upstaged by her tumultuous personal life, died Wednesday at age 79, due to congestive heart failure. She had been hospitalized at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles for the past six weeks. “All her children were with her” when she died, her publicist Sally Morrison said.
A film star since the age of 12, Taylor won three Oscars, including a special one for her humanitarian work related to AIDS and other causes. Film roles including CLEOPATRA, CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF, and WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF (with husband Richard Burton), gained her incredible notoriety worldwide. She was also a very close personal friend with the late Michael Jackson, even marrying her last husband at Jackson’s Neverland Ranch. But she was frequently tormented by ill health, failed romances and personal tragedy. Her eight marriages, including two to actor Richard Burton, combined with a lifelong battle with substance abuse, physical ailments and overeating confined Taylor to using a wheelchair in her final days. But her spirits always remained high.
On her 75th birthday, Taylor was asked about the secret to her longevity. Her reply: “Hangin’ in.” As one entertainment insider put it, Elizabeth Taylor is the last of the “true” Hollywood film stars.
