Mar. 23, 2011: Film star Elizabeth Taylor died at age 79 due to heart failure at Cedars-Sinai Hospital located in Los Angeles, California.
Hailed for her extraordinary beauty and “violet eyes,” Taylor grew up in the spotlight, appearing in her first major motion picture, National Velvet, at the age of twelve. Taylor won two Oscar awards during her acting career for her performances in Butterfield 8 and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf. Between eight marriages, seventy hospital visits, and a history of substance abuse, Elizabeth Taylor’s personal life ballooned into a public spectacle as time progressed. “I have a woman’s body and a child’s emotions,” Taylor once stated, concerning how her troubles first began. Eventually, Taylor published a tell-all biography regarding her early childhood in England, the loves of her life, and of course, her extensive jewelry collection.
Not only was Taylor an archetypal movie star and a symbol of indisputable glamour, she was also a humanitarian and contributed monetarily to AIDs research and prevention. She also created her own cosmetic and perfume line.
Elizabeth Taylor will be greatly missed by the film industry but her legacy will surely withstand the test of time and continue to inspire modern day actors. She leaves behind four children and a lifetime fraught with conflict, but also graced with genuine eloquence.