Elizabeth Taylor, actress and AIDS spokesperson, has died

Wed, 03/23/2011 - 9:55am by sernabad

Elizabeth Taylor, the gorgeous, violet-eyed child star of National Velvet (1944), the two-time Oscar winner for Butterfield 8 (1960) (on order) and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf (1966), and a decades-long passionate advocate for AIDS research, died today.

Her celebrity from her acting oeuvre was almost eclipsed by her tumultuous personal life which included eight trips down the aisle, endless serious health crises, struggles with substance abuse, and a devoted friendship with the late Michael Jackson. Ms. Taylor said that her relentless hard work raising money for AIDS research and cures, was her proudest accomplishment.

Ms. Taylor died at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles from congestive heart failure. She was 79.