By
Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 2:37 PM on 23rd March 2011
Last of the Hollywood greats: Dame Elizabeth Taylor has died in hospital aged 79of congestive heart failure
Actress Dame Elizabeth Taylor has died at the age of 79, her publicist confirmed in a statement today.
The star passed away from congestive heart failure in hospital last night having suffered from the condition since November 2004.
She was admitted to the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles ‘for monitoring’ last month.
While her publicist confirmed:
‘Legendary actress, and fearless activist Elizabeth Taylor
died peacefully today in Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles.
‘She was surrounded by her children- Michael Wilding, Christopher Wilding, Liza Todd, and Maria Burton,’ it added.
In addition to her children, she is survived by ten grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
The English-American star, considered
one of the great actresses of Hollywood’s golden age, was surrounded by
her children: Michael Wilding, Christopher Wilding, Liza Todd, and Maria
Burton.
Taylor’s son, Michael Wilding, released this statement: ‘We will always be inspired by her enduring contribution to our world.
‘My Mother was an extraordinary woman who lived life to the fullest, with great passion, humour, and love.
He added: 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 Mum 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.’
Her last show: Elizabeth was snapped celebrating her 79th birthday a month early in January before she was admitted to hospital a few days after
Dame Elizabeth turned 79 on February 27 but
celebrated with her friends and family a month early as ten days later
she was admitted to hospital to undergo surgery to repair a leaky heart
valve.
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The Hollywood veteran, who was born February 27th, in Hampstead north London, announced the news via social networking site
Twitter.
[caption
LIZ TAYLOR: A LIFE ON SCREEN
1942 – There’s One Born Every Minute – Taylor’s first
appearance on the silver screen was released when she was just 10-years-old.
1943 – Lassie Come Home – Despite being dropped by Universal
after her first film Elizabeth was signed up by MGM and appeared in three films
before her big break the following year.
1944 – National Velvet – Taylor rose to fame in the smash
hit playing Velvet Brown opposite Mickey Rooney at just 12-years-old
1954 – Her busiest year saw Elizabeth star in no less than
four films and at 22 years old was considered a great beauty
1957 – Raintree County – The actress was nominated for an
Academy Award for her role as Susanna Drake but she missed out on the award on
the night.
1960 – Butterfield 8 – After missing out on an Oscar three
times, Taylor was awarded with an Academy Award for her portrayal of the
beautiful Gloria Wandrous . She starred alongside her then-husband Eddie Fisher
1963 – Cleopatra – Elizabeth played the leading role in what
was at the time one of the most expensive movies. Not only was she paid
$1million but she also met her future husband Richard Burton.
1966 – Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? –Taylor was awarded
an Oscar for her role as Martha and starred alongside her then-husband Richard
Burton. The couple made a total of eight films together.
1970 – The Only Game In Town – By the end of the 1960’s
Taylor had lost some of her pulling power at the cinema
1982 – The Little Foxes (play) – Elizabeth made her Broadway
and West End debut with a revival of Lillian Hellman’s play
1994 – The Flintstones – The actress played Wilma’s mother
in her last theatrical film
She used the Twitter to relay news of her illness to supporters asking them to pray for her.
‘I’ll let you know when it is all over. Love you, Elizabeth,’ was one of the final messaged tweeted.
Dame Elizabeth had struggled with her health for a number of years – and was more often not seen at events in a wheelchair.
She broke her back at least five times, had three bouts of pneumonia of
which one, in 1961, required a tracheotomy, and another, in 1990, nearly
killed her.
There were two hip-replacement operations
and surgery to remove a benign golf ball-sized brain tumour, plus two stays at the Betty Ford clinic.
But throughout all this Dame Elizabeth managed to retain her sense of humour. In
1999, asked what she would like to see written on her gravestone, she
replied: ‘Here lies Elizabeth. She hated being called Liz. But she
lived.’
The actress’s star burned brightly in the spotlight since finding fame in Hollywood at the age of 12.
She earned four Oscar nominations- for Raintree County, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and Suddenly, Last Summer – finally winning at her fourth attempt with film Butterfield 8.
Her second Oscar came in 1967 for Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?.
The last of the great Hollywood movie stars,she  became famed not just her stunning beauty or talent but also for her chequered love life.
Dame Elizabeth married eight times to seven husbands – most notably – the late Welsh born actor Richard Burton who she married twice.
The warring couple, who met during filming of 1963’s Cleopatra – one of the most expensive films of all time – made 12 films together.
As
well as her film career, Dame Elizabeth is also known for her
pioneering work for AIDS charities. She became a committed activist
after close friend Rock Hudson died in 1985.Â
Elton
John today paid tribute to the actress: ‘We have just lost a Hollywood
giant; more importantly, we have lost an incredible human being.’
Considered by many to be the closest America has had to royalty, her every move was chronicled by the tabloid and mainstream press as her tumultuous career soared to the heights of stardom and the depths of despair, which included her personal battles with alcoholism and drug abuse.
Above all the actress demonstrated an uncanny ability to rebound, endure and thrive after blows to her health and wellbeing.
Elizabeth Taylor
‘The ups and downs, the problems and
stress, along with all the happiness, have given me optimism and hope
because I am living proof of survival,’ she said.
‘I’ve come through things that would
have felled an ox. That fills me with optimism, not just for myself but
for our particular species.’
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Elizabeth Taylor dies of heart failure in hospital aged 79