She was certainly an iconic figure. The remarkable thing, however, is that her profession had little to do with it. To be sure, she was a very accomplished actress: starring in over 60 films and even winning an Academy Award for best actress for her roles in Butterfield 8 and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolf.
Instead, the legend that was Dame Elizabeth (yes she was British, believe it or not) had far more to do with her off-screen activities. Granted, in the first instance, her life-long status as a sex symbol stemmed from her signature role in the 1963 movie classic Cleopatra.
But her eight marriages, most notably to fellow screen legend and Cleopatra co-star Richard Burton, reinforced the notion that she was every bit as desirable in real life as she was on screen.
Well, that might’ve been the case a half century ago. Because every time I saw her she looked boozy, disheveled, and fat. Which I suppose reflects the ironic fate that awaits all sex symbols who live long beyond their prime. Have you seen Bridget Bardot lately?
Indeed, over the last two decades of her life Taylor was probably recognized far more for her pioneering fight to combat the ravages of HIV/AIDS than for the erstwhile beauty that launched her fame. Reports are that she led fundraising efforts that garnered $325 million for amfAR – the foundation for AIDS research of which she was a founding member in 1985.
But it was clear in recent years that she was battling a terminal illness of her own. This is why it came as little surprise on Wednesday when I read that she had just died of congestive heart failure.
Though she had recently suffered a number of complications, her condition had stabilized and it was hoped that she would be able to return home. Sadly, this was not to be.
(Spokesman for Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles, TMZ, March 23, 2011)
Taylor is survived by 4 children, 10 grandchildren, and 4 great grandchildren. She was 79.