Elizabeth Taylor Has Died

Elizabeth Taylor died earlier today of congestive heart failure at the age of 79. Taylor had been hospitalized for her condition since February.

Taylor was as well-known for her offscreen life as her onscreen career. She embodied Hollywood glamour, with her often stormy personal life, her taste for jewels, and her stunningly high salaries. Cleopatra made her the first actress to break the seven-figure mark in 1963, and also marked the beginning of perhaps her most famous romance, to co-star Richard Burton. In all, Taylor was married eight times over five decades, twice to Burton.

In the 1980s, Taylor became an early advocate of the fight against AIDS, after the death of her former colleague Rock Hudson from the disease. She helped start The American Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR), an organization that is still active today. For her charitable work, Taylor was awarded the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award by the Academy in 1992.

Feel free to share fond remembrances in the comments below.