Image via WikipediaUpdate:
6:18 a.m. PST
Elizabeth Taylor passed away at the famed Cedars Sinai Hospital in West Los Angeles.
By Randy Economy
www.Economy4ABC.Blogspot.com
March 23, 2011
6:04 a.m. PST
Hollywood, CA
Elizabeth Taylor has died at the age of 79.
She was bigger than life, and today her passing is just starting to hit the news wires. I had the honor to meet her on a few special occasions and she really was "bigger than life itself."
I will always remember Elizabeth Taylor as a Champion for People Living with
HIV and AIDS. Today the world has lost an icon, and many more have lost a real hero.
Image via Wikipedia
Dame Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor,
DBE (born 27 February 1932; died 23 March 2011), also known as
Liz Taylor, is an English-American actress.
A former child star, she grew to be known for her acting talent and beauty, as well as her Hollywood lifestyle, including many marriages. Taylor is considered one of the great actresses of
Hollywood's golden age. The
American Film Institute named Taylor seventh on its
Female Legends list.
Image via WikipediaTaylor has a passion for
jewellery. She is a client of well-known jewelry designer,
Shlomo Moussaieff. Over the years she has owned a number of well-known pieces, two of the most talked-about being the 33.19-carat (6.64 g)
Krupp Diamond and the 69.42-carat (13.88 g) pear-shaped
Taylor-Burton Diamond, which were among many
gifts from husband Richard Burton. Taylor also owns the 50-carat (10 g)
La Peregrina Pearl, purchased by Burton as a Valentine's Day present in 1969. The pearl was formerly owned by
Mary I of England, and Burton sought a portrait of Queen Mary wearing the pearl. Upon the purchase of the painting, the Burtons discovered that the British
National Portrait Gallery did not have an original painting of Mary, so they donated the painting to the Gallery.
[25][26] Her enduring collection of jewelry has been documented in her book
My Love Affair with Jewelry (2002) with photographs by the New York photographer
John Bigelow Taylor (no relation).
Taylor started designing jewels for The Elizabeth Collection, creating fine jewelry with elegance and flair. The Elizabeth Taylor collection by Piranesi is sold at
Christie's. She has also launched three perfumes, "Passion", "White Diamonds", and "Black Pearls", which, together, earn an estimated US$200 million in annual sales. In fall 2006, Taylor celebrated the 15th anniversary of her White Diamonds perfume, one of the top 10 best selling fragrances for more than the past decade.
Image via WikipediaTaylor has devoted much time and energy to
AIDS-related charities and fundraising. She helped start the
American Foundation for AIDS Research (
amfAR) after the death of her former costar and friend,
Rock Hudson. She also created her own AIDS foundation, the Elizabeth Taylor Aids Foundation (ETAF). By 1999, she had helped to raise an estimated US$50 million to fight the disease. In 2006, Taylor commissioned a 37-foot (11 m) "Care Van" equipped with examination tables and X Ray equipment and also donated US$40,000 to the
New Orleans Aids task force, a charity designed for the
New Orleans population with AIDS and
HIV. The donation of the van was made by the Elizabeth Taylor HIV/AIDS Foundation and
Macy's.
In the early 1980s, Taylor moved to
Bel Air, Los Angeles, California, which is her current home. She also owns homes in Palm Springs, London and Hawaii.
Taylor is a supporter of Kabbalah and member of the
Kabbalah Centre. She encouraged long-time friend
Michael Jackson to wear a
red string as protection from the evil-eye during his 2005 trial for molestation, where he was eventually cleared of all charges. On 6 October 1991, Taylor had married construction worker
Larry Fortensky at Jackson's
Neverland Ranch.
[citation needed] In 1997, Jackson presented Taylor with the exclusively written-for-her epic song "Elizabeth, I Love You", performed on the day of her 65th birthday celebration.
In October 2007, Taylor won a legal battle, over a
Van Gogh painting in her possession,
View of the Asylum and Chapel at Saint Remy. The
United States Supreme Court refused to reconsider a legal suit filed by four persons claiming that the artwork belonged to one of their Jewish ancestors,
regardless of any
statute of limitations.
Personal life
Marriages
Taylor has been married eight times to seven husbands:
- Conrad "Nicky" Hilton (6 May 1950 – 29 January 1951) (divorced)
- Michael Wilding (21 February 1952 – 26 January 1957) (divorced)
- Michael Todd (2 February 1957 – 22 March 1958) (widowed)
- Eddie Fisher (12 May 1959 – 6 March 1964) (divorced)
- Richard Burton (15 March 1964 – 26 June 1974) (divorced)
- Richard Burton (10 October 1975 – 29 July 1976) (divorced)
- Note: between 1975 and 1976, Taylor was the companion to the Iranian ambassador to Washington, Ardeshir Zahedi. They were dubbed "the hottest couple", and both divorced their significant others during their relationship. Taylor even traveled with him to Tehran for a time. Shah Reza Pahlavi convinced Zahedi to end his relationship with Taylor.
- John Warner (4 December 1976 – 7 November 1982) (divorced)
- Larry Fortensky (6 October 1991 – 31 October 1996) (divorced)
Children
With Wilding (two sons):
- Michael Howard Wilding (born 6 January 1953)
- Christopher Edward Wilding (born 27 February 1955)
With Todd (one daughter):
- Elizabeth Frances "Liza" Todd (born 6 August 1957)
With Burton (one daughter):
- Maria Burton (born 1 August 1961; adopted 1964)
In 1971, Taylor became a grandmother at the age of 39. She has nine grandchildren (as of January 2011).
Treatment for alcoholism
In the 1980s, she received treatment for alcoholism.
[30]
Hospitalization
Image via WikipediaTaylor has dealt with various health problems over the years, including issues regarding
congestive heart failure. In February of 2011, new symptoms related to congestive heart failure caused her to be admitted into Cedars-Sinai Medical Center for treatment. As of February 13, 2011, she was reportedly being kept at the hospital for monitoring.
LOS ANGELES -- Lonnie David Franklin Jr., the alleged “Grim Sleeper” serial killer accused of murdering 10 victims over a more than 20-year span, was arraigned today on an indictment charging him with the killings.
