Editing Elizabeth Taylor (section)

==Personal life==
===Marriages, relationships, and children===

Throughout her adult years, Taylor's personal life, especially her eight marriages (two to the same man), drew a large amount of media attention and public disapproval. According to biographer Alexander Walker, "Whether she liked it or not ... marriage is the matrix of the myth that began surrounding Elizabeth Taylor from [when she was sixteen]."<ref name=Walker />{{rp|126}} In 1948, MGM arranged for her to date American football champion [[Glenn Davis (halfback)|Glenn Davis]] and she announced plans for them to marry once he returned from [[Korea]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=October 19, 1948 |title=In Hollywood: Elizabeth Taylor to Wed Glenn Davis on His Return |pages=18 |work=The Tampa Times}}</ref> The following year, Taylor was briefly engaged to William Pawley Jr., son of US ambassador [[William D. Pawley]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=September 20, 1949 |title=Break Confirmed: Young Pawley Admits He's Taylor's Ex-Fiance |pages=24 |work=Los Angeles Times}}</ref><ref name=Walker />{{rp|75–88}} Film tycoon [[Howard Hughes]] also wanted to marry her, and offered to pay her parents a six-figure sum of money if she were to become his wife.<ref name=Walker />{{rp|81–82}} Taylor declined the offer, but was otherwise eager to marry young, as her "rather puritanical upbringing and beliefs" made her believe that "love was synonymous with marriage."<ref name="lifemag" /> Taylor later described herself as being "emotionally immature" during this time due to her sheltered childhood, and believed that she could gain independence from her parents and MGM through marriage.<ref name="lifemag" />

Taylor was 18 years old when she married [[Conrad Hilton Jr.|Conrad "Nicky" Hilton Jr.]], heir to the [[Hilton Hotels]] chain, at the [[Church of the Good Shepherd (Beverly Hills, California)|Church of the Good Shepherd]] in Beverly Hills on May 6, 1950.<ref>{{Cite news |date=May 7, 1950 |title=Hotel Heir Conrad Hilton Weds Elizabeth Taylor |pages=1 |work=Los Angeles Times}}</ref><ref name=Walker />{{rp|106–112}} MGM organized the large and expensive wedding, which became a major media event.<ref name=Walker />{{rp|106–112}} In the weeks after their wedding, Taylor realized that she had made a mistake; not only did she and Hilton have few interests in common, but he was also abusive and a [[Alcoholism|heavy drinker]].<ref name=Walker />{{rp|113–119}} Taylor suffered a [[miscarriage]] during one of his violent outbursts.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2002-09-29 |title=Good Times and Bum Times, but She's Here |language=en |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/09/29/style/good-times-and-bum-times-but-she-s-here.html |access-date=2023-08-19}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Hadleigh |first=Boze |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HTUpDwAAQBAJ&dq=elizabeth+taylor+nicky+hilton+miscarriage&pg=PA101 |title=Elizabeth Taylor: Tribute to a Legend |date=2017-10-20 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |isbn=978-1-4930-3106-1 |pages=101 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Mann |first=William J. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-8Lh_2ZP-qoC&dq=elizabeth+taylor+nicky+hilton+miscarriage&pg=PA120 |title=How to be a Movie Star: Elizabeth Taylor in Hollywood |date=2009 |publisher=Houghton Mifflin Harcourt |isbn=978-0-547-13464-2 |pages=120 |language=en}}</ref> She announced their separation on December 14, 1950,<ref>{{Cite news |date=1950-12-15 |title=TO DIVORCE NICK HILTON; Elizabeth Taylor Rules Out Possibility of Reconciliation |work=The New York Times |language=en |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1950/12/15/archives/to-divorce-nick-hilton-elizabeth-taylor-rules-out-possibility-of.html |access-date=2023-08-20}}</ref> and was granted a divorce on the grounds of mental cruelty on January 29, 1951, eight months after their wedding.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Laura C. |first=Smith |date=January 26, 1996 |title=Elizabeth Taylor's divorce from Nicky Hilton |url=https://ew.com/article/1996/01/26/elizabeth-taylors-divorce-nicky-hilton/ |access-date=2023-08-20 |website=EW.com |language=en}}</ref><ref name=Walker />{{rp|120–125}}

Taylor married her second husband, British actor [[Michael Wilding]] – a man 20 years her senior – in a low-key ceremony at [[Caxton Hall]] in London on February 21, 1952.<ref name=Walker />{{rp|139}} She had first met him in 1948 while filming ''The Conspirator'' in England, and their relationship began when she returned to film ''Ivanhoe'' in 1951.<ref name=Walker />{{rp|131–133}} Taylor found their age gap appealing. She wanted "the calm and quiet and security of friendship" from their relationship;<ref name="lifemag" /> he hoped that the marriage would aid his career in Hollywood.<ref name=Walker />{{rp|136}} They had two sons: Michael Howard (born January 6, 1953) and Christopher Edward (born February 27, 1955; Taylor's 23rd birthday).<ref name=Walker />{{rp|148,160}} As Taylor grew older and more confident in herself, she began to drift apart from Wilding, whose failing career was also a source of marital strife.<ref name=Walker />{{rp|160–165}} When she was away filming ''Giant'' in 1955, gossip magazine ''[[Confidential (magazine)|Confidential]]'' caused a scandal by claiming that he had entertained strippers at their home.<ref name=Walker />{{rp|164–165}} Taylor and Wilding announced their separation on July 18, 1956, and were divorced on January 26, 1957.{{sfn|Kelley|1981|p=128}}

[[File:Liz Taylor, Liza Todd and family by Toni Frissell, 1957.jpg|thumb|Taylor with her third husband Mike Todd and her three children in 1957]]

Taylor was three months pregnant when she married her third husband, theatre and film producer [[Mike Todd]], in [[Acapulco, Guerrero]], Mexico, on February 2, 1957.<ref name=Walker />{{rp|178–180}} They had one daughter, Elizabeth "Liza" Frances (born August 6, 1957).<ref name=Walker />{{rp|186}} Todd, known for publicity stunts, encouraged the media attention to their marriage; for example, in June 1957, he threw a birthday party at [[Madison Square Garden (1925)|Madison Square Garden]], which was attended by 18,000 guests and broadcast on CBS.<ref name=Kashner />{{rp|5–6}}<ref name=Walker />{{rp|188}} His death in a plane crash on March 22, 1958, left Taylor devastated.<ref name=Kashner />{{rp|5–6}}<ref name=Walker />{{rp|193–202}} She was comforted by a friend of Todd's and hers, singer [[Eddie Fisher]], with whom she soon began an affair.<ref name=Kashner />{{rp|7–9}}<ref name=Walker />{{rp|201–210}} Fisher was still married to actress [[Debbie Reynolds]]. The affair resulted in a public scandal, with Taylor being branded a "homewrecker."<ref name=Kashner />{{rp|7–9}}<ref name=Walker />{{rp|201–210}} Taylor and Fisher were married at the Temple Beth Sholom in [[Las Vegas]] on May 12, 1959; she later stated that she married him only due to her grief.<ref name=Kashner />{{rp|7–9}}<ref name=Walker />{{rp|201–210}}<ref name="lifemag" /> Taylor and Reynolds would reconcile in the 1960s.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Nordyke |first=Kimberly |date=2011-03-24 |title=Debbie Reynolds Reveals How She Forgave Elizabeth Taylor |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/debbie-reynolds-reveals-how-she-171252/ |access-date=2025-03-11 |website=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] |language=en-US}}</ref>

While filming ''Cleopatra'' in Italy in 1962, Taylor began an affair with her co-star, Welsh actor [[Richard Burton]], although Burton was also married. Rumors about the affair began to circulate in the press, and were confirmed by a paparazzi shot of them on a yacht in [[Ischia]].<ref name=Kashner />{{rp|27–34|2a1=Sternheimer|2y=2015|2p=174}} According to sociologist [[Ellis Cashmore]], the publication of the photograph was a "turning point", beginning a new era in which it became difficult for celebrities to keep their personal lives separate from their public images.{{sfn|Sternheimer|2015|p=174}} The scandal caused Taylor and Burton to be condemned for "erotic vagrancy" by the [[Holy See|Vatican]], with calls also in the US Congress to bar them from re-entering the country.<ref name=Kashner />{{rp|36}} Taylor was granted a divorce from Fisher on March 5, 1964, in [[Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco]], Mexico, and married Burton 10 days later in a private ceremony at the [[Ritz-Carlton Montreal]].<ref name=Kashner />{{rp|99–100}} Burton subsequently adopted Liza Todd and Maria McKeown (born 1961), a German orphan whose adoption process Taylor had begun while married to Fisher.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/elizabeth-taylors-unseen-role-mother/story?id=13223481 | title=Elizabeth Taylor's Unseen Role: Mother | access-date=December 1, 2018 |first=Sheila |last=Marikar |date=March 28, 2011 |work=ABC News}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.tampabay.com/news/humaninterest/qampa-an-update-on-elizabeth-taylors-four-children/1064792 |title=Q&A: An update on Elizabeth Taylor's four children |access-date=December 1, 2018 |date=January 12, 2010 |newspaper=St. Petersburg Times |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20170108110630/http://www.tampabay.com/news/humaninterest/qampa-an-update-on-elizabeth-taylors-four-children/1064792 |archive-date=January 8, 2017}}</ref>

Dubbed "Liz and Dick" by the media, Taylor and Burton starred together in 11 films, and led a jet-set lifestyle, spending millions on "furs, diamonds, paintings, designer clothes, travel, food, liquor, a yacht, and a jet."<ref name=Kashner />{{rp|193}} Sociologist Karen Sternheimer states that they "became a cottage industry of speculation about their alleged life of excess. From reports of massive spending [...] affairs, and even an open marriage, the couple came to represent a new era of 'gotcha' celebrity coverage, where the more personal the story, the better."{{sfn|Sternheimer|2015|pp=200–201}} They divorced for the first time in June 1974, but reconciled, and remarried in [[Kasane]], [[Botswana]], on 10 October 1975.<ref name=Kashner />{{rp|376,391–394}} The second marriage lasted less than a year, ending in divorce in July 1976.<ref name=Kashner />{{rp|384–385,406}} Taylor and Burton's relationship was often referred to as the "marriage of the century" by the media, and she later stated, "After Richard, the men in my life were just there to hold the coat, to open the door. All the men after Richard were really just company."<ref name=Kashner />{{rp|vii,437}} Soon after her final divorce from Burton, Taylor met her sixth husband, [[John Warner]], a Republican politician from [[Virginia]].<ref name=Kashner />{{rp|402–405}} They were married on 4 December 1976, after which Taylor concentrated on working for his electoral campaign.<ref name=Kashner />{{rp|402–405}} Once Warner had been elected to the Senate, she started to find her life as a politician's wife in Washington, D.C. boring and lonely, becoming depressed, gaining weight, and becoming increasingly addicted to prescription drugs and alcohol.<ref name=Kashner />{{rp|402–405}} Taylor and Warner separated in December 1981, and divorced on 5 November 1982.<ref name=Kashner />{{rp|410–411}}

After the divorce from Warner, Taylor dated actors [[Anthony Geary]]<ref>{{cite news|url=https://daytimeconfidential.com/2010/04/13/dc-interview-tony-geary-on-liz-taylor-ill-always-cherish-her|title=DC Interview: Tony Geary on Liz Taylor: "I'll Always Cherish Her"|work=Daytime Confidential|date=April 12, 2010|first=Jillian|last=Bowe}}</ref> and [[George Hamilton (actor)|George Hamilton]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.closerweekly.com/posts/george-hamilton-says-of-previous-flame-elizabeth-taylor-a-year-with-her-could-fill-a-lifetime-38597 |title=George Hamilton Says of Previous Flame Elizabeth Taylor, "A Year With Her Could Fill a Lifetime"|work=Closer|date=May 23, 2014}}</ref> and was engaged to Mexican lawyer Victor Luna in 1983–1984,<ref name=Kashner />{{rp|422–434}} and New York businessman Dennis Stein in 1985.<ref>{{cite magazine |author=Staff |date=August 12, 1991 |url=https://people.com/archive/eight-is-enough-vol-36-no-5/ |title=Eight Is Enough |magazine=[[People (magazine)|People]] |access-date=December 1, 2018}}</ref> She met her seventh and last husband, construction worker [[Larry Fortensky]], at the Betty Ford Center in 1988.<ref name=Kashner />{{rp|437}}<ref name=Walker />{{rp|465–466}} They were married at the [[Neverland Ranch]] of her close friend [[Michael Jackson]] on October 6, 1991.<ref>{{Cite news |last=McMillan |first=Penelope |date=October 7, 1991 |title=Amid Wedding Hoopla, a Town Goes Hollywood : Ceremony: Liz Taylor-Larry Fortensky vows draw the star-struck and airborne onlookers to Santa Ynez Valley. |work=Los Angeles Times |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-10-07-mn-78-story.html}}</ref> The wedding was again subject to intense media attention, with one photographer parachuting to the ranch and Taylor selling the wedding pictures to ''[[People (magazine)|People]]'' for $1 million (equivalent to ${{Inflation|index=US|value=1|start_year=1991|r=2}} million in {{Inflation year|index=US}}), which she used to start her AIDS foundation.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Baker |first=KC |date=October 21, 2014 |title=Elizabeth Taylor & Michael Jackson at Her Final Wedding: Never-Before-Seen Photos |url=https://people.com/celebrity/elizabeth-taylor-michael-jackson-at-her-final-wedding-never-before-seen-photos/ |website=People}}</ref><ref name=timeline/> Taylor and Fortensky divorced on October 31, 1996,<ref name=Kashner />{{rp|437}} but remained in contact for life.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.katiecallahanandco.com/2019/05/wedding-wednesday-elizabeth-taylor-and-larry-fortensky/|title=Wedding Wednesday: Elizabeth Taylor and Larry Fortensky|date=May 15, 2019|publisher=Katie Callahan & Co.|access-date=May 2, 2020|archive-date=June 29, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200629213315/https://www.katiecallahanandco.com/2019/05/wedding-wednesday-elizabeth-taylor-and-larry-fortensky/|url-status=dead}}</ref> She attributed the split to her painful hip operations and his obsessive-compulsive disorder.<ref>''[[20/20 (American TV program)|20/20]]'', February 14, 1997.</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0101/15/lkl.00.html|title=Elizabeth Taylor Discusses Her Life and Career|publisher=CNN.com|date=January 15, 2001|access-date=May 2, 2020|archive-date=November 21, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101121092358/http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0101/15/lkl.00.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> In the winter of 1999, Fortensky underwent brain surgery after falling off a balcony and was comatose for six weeks; Taylor immediately notified the hospital she would personally guarantee his medical expenses.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thefreelibrary.com/Liz+rushes+to+the+aid+of+stricken+ex+husband+Larry%3B+It%27s+showbuzz.-a060202098|title=Liz rushes to the aid of stricken ex husband Larry|website=thefreelibrary.com|date=March 14, 1999}}</ref> At the end of 2010, she wrote him a letter that read: "You’re a part of my life that cannot be carved out nor do I ever wish it to be."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://elizabethtaylor.com/elizabeth-taylors-last-walk-down-the-aisle/|title=Elizabeth Taylor's Last Walk Down the Aisle|website=ElizabethTaylor.com|date=November 2023}}</ref> Taylor's last phone call with Fortensky was on February 7, 2011, one day before she checked into the hospital for what turned out to be her final stay. He told her she would outlive him.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.etonline.com/news/110067_Larry_Fortensky_Breaks_Silence_on_Ex_Wife_Elizabeth_Taylor|title=Larry Fortensky Breaks Silence on Ex-Wife Elizabeth Taylor|website=etonline.com|date=April 25, 2011|access-date=May 2, 2020|archive-date=November 24, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201124001828/https://www.etonline.com/news/110067_Larry_Fortensky_Breaks_Silence_on_Ex_Wife_Elizabeth_Taylor|url-status=dead}}</ref> Although they had been divorced for almost 15 years, Taylor left Fortensky $825,000 in her will.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/gossip/elizabeth-taylor-wills-800k-husband-larry-fortensky-article-1.110529|title=Elizabeth Taylor wills more than $800K to her last husband, Larry Fortensky|website=nydailynews.com|date=April 24, 2011}}</ref>

In the last years of her life, she had a platonic friendship with the actor [[Colin Farrell]]. On the phone, they often talked about the topic of insomnia and how to deal with it.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2013-12-17 |title=Colin Farrell reveals 'affair' with Elizabeth Taylor: 'She was my |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/news/colin-farrell-reveals-affair-with-elizabeth-taylor-she-was-my-last-romantic-relationship-9010620.html |access-date=2024-08-13 |website=The Independent |language=en}}</ref>

===Judaism===
Taylor was raised as a Christian Scientist, and [[Conversion to Judaism|converted to Judaism]] in 1959.<ref name=Kashner />{{rp|173–174}}<ref name=Walker />{{rp|206–210}} Although two of her husbands – Mike Todd and Eddie Fisher – were Jewish, Taylor stated that she did not convert because of them, and had wanted to do so "for a long time",<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.jta.org/2011/03/23/arts-entertainment/actress-elizabeth-taylor-dies |title=Actress Elizabeth Taylor dies |access-date=December 1, 2018 |last=Oyster |first=Marcy |date=March 23, 2011 |work=[[Jewish Telegraphic Agency]]}}</ref> and that there was "comfort and dignity and hope for me in this ancient religion that [has] survived for four thousand years... I feel as if I have been a Jew all my life."{{sfn|Heymann|1995|p=195}} Walker believed that Taylor was influenced in her decision by her godfather, [[Victor Cazalet#Godfather to Elizabeth Taylor|Victor Cazalet]], and her mother, who were active supporters of [[Zionism]] during her childhood.<ref name=Walker />{{rp|14}}

Following her conversion, Taylor became an active supporter of Jewish and Zionist causes.<ref name="jta">{{cite news |url=https://www.jta.org/2011/03/23/news-opinion/the-telegraph/in-the-jta-archive-liz-taylor-says-trade-me-for-entebbe-hostages |title=In the JTA Archive: Liz Taylor says trade me for Entebbe hostages |last=Eden |first=Ami |date=March 23, 2011 |work=Jewish Telegraphic Agency |access-date=December 1, 2018}}</ref><ref name="wapoburstein">{{cite news |last=Burstein |first=Nathan |title=Elizabeth Taylor and Israel, a lasting love |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/elizabeth-taylor-and-israel-a-lasting-love/2011/03/24/AFbnZZYB_story.html |access-date=December 1, 2018 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=March 25, 2011}}</ref> In 1959, she purchased $100,000 worth of [[State of Israel Bonds|Israeli bonds]], which led to her films being banned by Arab countries throughout the Middle East and Africa.{{sfn|Kelley|1981|p=134}}<ref name="wapoburstein" /> She was also barred from entering Egypt to film ''Cleopatra'' in 1962, but the ban was lifted two years later after the Egyptian officials deemed that the film brought positive publicity for the country.<ref name="jta" /> In addition to purchasing bonds, Taylor helped to raise money for organizations such as the [[Jewish National Fund]],<ref name="jta" /> and sat on the [[board of trustees]] of the [[Simon Wiesenthal Center]].<ref name="swc">{{cite web |url=http://www.wiesenthal.com/site/apps/nlnet/content2.aspx?c=lsKWLbPJLnF&b=6478433&ct=9227781 |title=Wiesenthal Center Mourns the Passing of Elizabeth Taylor, Longtime Friend and Supporter |date=March 23, 2011 |publisher=[[Simon Wiesenthal Center]] |access-date=December 1, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180926122741/http://www.wiesenthal.com/site/apps/nlnet/content2.aspx?c=lsKWLbPJLnF&b=6478433&ct=9227781 |archive-date=September 26, 2018 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Taylor also advocated for the right of [[History of the Jews in Russia|Soviet Jews]] to [[Aliyah|emigrate to Israel]], cancelled a visit to the USSR because of its condemnation of Israel due to the [[Six-Day War]], and signed a letter protesting the [[United Nations General Assembly Resolution 3379]] of 1975.<ref name="jta" /> In 1976, she offered herself as a replacement hostage after more than 100 Israeli civilians were taken hostage in the [[Operation Entebbe|Entebbe skyjacking]].<ref name="jta" /> She had a small role in the television film made about the incident, ''[[Victory at Entebbe]]'' (1976), and narrated ''[[Genocide (1981 film)|Genocide]]'' (1981), an Academy Award-winning documentary about the [[Holocaust]].<ref name="swc"/>

===Style and jewelry collection===
[[File:Elizabeth Taylor 1.JPG|thumb|Taylor in a studio publicity photo in 1953]]

Taylor is considered a fashion icon both for her film costumes and personal style.<ref name="NYThoryn">{{cite web |last=Horyn |first=Cathy |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/24/fashion/24LIZSTYLE.html |title=An Alluring Beauty Exempt From Fashion's Rules |work=The New York Times |date=March 23, 2011 |access-date=December 1, 2018}}</ref><ref name="vesilindLAT">{{cite web |last=Vesilind |first=Emili |url=https://www.latimes.com/fashion/alltherage/la-ig-elizabeth-taylor-20110324-story.html |title=As a fashion icon, Elizabeth Taylor could turn simple into sexy, elegance into excess |work=Los Angeles Times |date=March 23, 2011 |access-date=December 1, 2018}}</ref><ref name="guardianfox">{{cite web |last=Fox |first=Imogen |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2011/mar/23/elizabeth-taylor-style-icon-hollywood |title=Elizabeth Taylor: style icon |work=The Guardian |date=March 23, 2011 |access-date=December 1, 2018}}</ref> At MGM, her costumes were mostly designed by [[Helen Rose]] and [[Edith Head]],<ref name="vogue">{{cite web |last=Cosgrave |first=Bronwyn |url=https://www.vogue.co.uk/article/elizabeth-taylors-style-and-fashion-bronwyn-cosgrave |title=End Of An Era |work=[[Vogue (magazine)|Vogue]] |date=March 24, 2011 |access-date=December 1, 2018}}</ref> and in the 1960s by [[Irene Sharaff]].<ref name="vesilindLAT" /><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.christies.com/about-us/press-archive/details?PressReleaseID=5012 |title=Release: The Icon And Her Haute Couture -The Collection Of Elizabeth Taylor |publisher=[[Christie's]] |date=September 20, 2011 |access-date=December 1, 2018}}</ref> Her most famous costumes include a white ball gown in ''A Place in the Sun'' (1951), a Grecian dress in ''Cat on a Hot Tin Roof'' (1958), a green A-line dress in ''Suddenly Last Summer'' (1959), and a slip and a fur coat in ''BUtterfield 8'' (1960).<ref name="NYThoryn" /><ref name="vesilindLAT" /><ref name="guardianfox" /> Her look in ''Cleopatra'' (1963) started a trend for "cat-eye" makeup done with black eyeliner.<ref name=Kashner />{{rp|135–136}}

Taylor collected jewelry through her life, and owned the {{convert|33.19|carat|g|adj=on}} [[Krupp Diamond]], the {{convert|69.42|carat|g|adj=on}} [[Taylor-Burton Diamond]], and the {{convert|50|carat|g|adj=on}} [[La Peregrina Pearl]], all three of which were gifts from husband Richard Burton.<ref name=Kashner />{{rp|237–238,258–259,275–276}} She also published a book about her collection, ''My Love Affair with Jewelry'', in 2002.<ref name="vesilindLAT" /><ref>{{cite magazine |title=Elizabeth Taylor: A Life in Jewels |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/photos/2011/11/elizabeth-taylor-jewels-slideshow-201111 |access-date=December 1, 2018 |first=Ruth |last=Peltason |magazine=Vanity Fair |date=November 23, 2011}}</ref> Taylor helped to popularise the work of fashion designers [[Valentino Garavani]]<ref name="vogue" /><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.valentinogaravanimuseum.com/features/1297/elizabeth-taylor |title=Elizabeth Taylor |publisher=Valentino Garavani Museum |date=March 24, 2011 |access-date=December 1, 2018 |archive-date=December 4, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191204073829/http://www.valentinogaravanimuseum.com/features/1297/elizabeth-taylor |url-status=dead }}</ref> and [[Halston]].<ref name="vesilindLAT" /><ref>{{cite web |last=Wohlfert |first=Lee |url=https://people.com/archive/cover-story-dressing-the-stars-vol-7-no-24/ |title=Cover Story: Dressing the Stars |work=People |date=June 20, 1977 |access-date=December 1, 2018}}</ref> She received a Lifetime of Glamour Award from the [[Council of Fashion Designers of America]] (CFDA) in 1997.<ref>{{cite web| last=Cowles |first=Charlotte |url=https://www.thecut.com/2011/03/elizabeth_taylor.html |title=A Tribute to Elizabeth Taylor: Fashion Icon |work=New York |date=March 23, 2011 |access-date=December 1, 2018}}</ref> After her death, her jewelry and fashion collections were auctioned by [[Christie's]] to benefit her AIDS foundation, ETAF. The jewelry sold for a record-breaking sum of $156.8 million,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.christies.com/elizabethtaylor/saleroom.aspx |title=The Collection of Elizabeth Taylor |publisher=Christies |access-date=December 1, 2018}}</ref> and the clothes and accessories for a further $5.5 million.<ref name="christieshc">{{cite web |url=https://www.christies.com/elizabethtaylor/saleroom_haute.aspx |title=The Collection of Elizabeth Taylor: The Icon and her Haute Couture, Evening Sale (III) |publisher=Christie's |date=December 14, 2011 |access-date=December 1, 2018}}</ref>

===Illness and death===
[[File:Elizabeth Taylor Walk of Fame.jpg|thumb|left|Taylor's star on the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]] in the days following her death in 2011]]

Taylor struggled with health problems for most of her life.{{r|woo20110324}} She was born with [[scoliosis]]<ref name="teldeath">{{cite web |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/culturenews/8401217/Elizabeth-Taylor-history-of-health-problems.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220110/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/culturenews/8401217/Elizabeth-Taylor-history-of-health-problems.html |archive-date=January 10, 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Elizabeth Taylor: history of health problems |work=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |date=March 23, 2011 |access-date=December 1, 2018}}{{cbignore}}</ref> and broke her back while filming ''National Velvet'' in 1944.<ref name=Walker />{{rp|40–47}} The fracture went undetected for several years, although it caused her chronic back problems.<ref name=Walker />{{rp|40–47}} In 1956, she underwent an operation in which some of her spinal discs were removed and replaced with donated bone.<ref name=Walker />{{rp|175}} Taylor was also prone to other illnesses and injuries, which often necessitated surgery; in 1961, she survived a near-fatal bout of pneumonia that required a tracheotomy.<ref name=Kashner />
She was [[Phage therapy|treated]] for the pneumonia with [[bacteriophage]].<ref>{{Cite magazine|last=Twilley|first=Nicola|date=December 14, 2020|title=When a Virus Is the Cure|url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/12/21/when-a-virus-is-the-cure|access-date=December 15, 2020|magazine=The New Yorker|language=en-us|quote=Still, as late as 1961, phage therapy had some American adherents, including Elizabeth Taylor, who received a dose of staph bacteriophage when she developed near-fatal pneumonia during the filming of ''Cleopatra'' and needed an emergency tracheotomy.}}</ref>
In 1968 she underwent an emergency hysterectomy, which exacerbated her back problems and contributed to hip problems. Perhaps self-medicating, she was addicted to alcohol and prescription pain killers and tranquilizers. She was treated at the [[Betty Ford Center]] for seven weeks from December 1983 to January 1984, becoming the first celebrity to openly admit herself to the clinic.<ref name=Kashner />{{rp|424–425}} She relapsed later in the decade and entered rehabilitation again in 1988.<ref name=Walker />{{rp|366–368}} Taylor had gained weight by the 1970s, especially after her marriage to Senator John Warner, and published a diet book about her experiences, ''Elizabeth Takes Off'' (1988).<ref name="tanabe20110324">{{cite news |url=https://www.politico.com/click/stories/1103/elizabeth_taylors_washington_life.html | title=Elizabeth Taylor's Washington life |access-date=December 1, 2018 |last=Tanabe |first=Karin |date=March 24, 2011 |work=[[Politico]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=Aljean |last=Harmetz |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/01/20/garden/liz-taylor-at-55-thin-again-and-wiser.html |title=Liz Taylor at 55: Thin Again, and Wiser |work=The New York Times |date=January 20, 1988 |access-date=December 1, 2018}}</ref> Taylor was a heavy smoker until she experienced a severe bout of pneumonia in 1990.<ref>{{cite book |last=Taraborrelli |first=J. Randy |title=Elizabeth: The Biography of Elizabeth Taylor |year=2007 |page=432}}</ref>

Taylor's health increasingly declined during the last two decades of her life and she rarely attended public events after 1996.<ref name="teldeath" /> Taylor had serious bouts of pneumonia in 1990 and 2000,<ref name="advocate" /> two [[hip replacement surgery|hip replacement surgeries]] in the mid-1990s,{{r|woo20110324}} a surgery for a benign [[brain tumor]] in 1997,{{r|woo20110324}} and successful treatment for [[skin cancer]] in 2002.<ref name="teldeath" /> She used a wheelchair due to her back problems and was diagnosed with [[Heart failure|congestive heart failure]] in 2004.<ref name="BBCdeath">{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-12833100 |title=Dame Elizabeth Taylor dies at the age of 79 |work=BBC News |date=March 23, 2011 |access-date=December 1, 2018}}</ref><ref name="abc-death2">{{cite web |title=Elizabeth Taylor dies aged 79 |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-03-24/elizabeth-taylor-dies-aged-79/2644128 |work=[[ABC News (Australia)|ABC News]] |access-date=December 1, 2018 |date=March 24, 2011}}</ref> She died of the illness aged 79 on March 23, 2011, at [[Cedars-Sinai Medical Center]] in Los Angeles, six weeks after being hospitalized.<ref name="reutersdeath">{{cite news |last=Tourtellotte |first=Bob |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-taylor/hollywood-legend-elizabeth-taylor-dies-at-79-idUSTRE72M3L120110324 |title=Hollywood legend Elizabeth Taylor dies at 79 |work=Reuters |date=March 23, 2011 |access-date=December 1, 2018}}</ref> Her funeral took place the following day at the [[Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale)|Forest Lawn Memorial Park]] in [[Glendale, California]]. The service was a private [[bereavement in Judaism|Jewish ceremony]] presided by [[Rabbi]] [[Jerome Cutler]]. At Taylor's request, the ceremony began 15 minutes behind schedule, as, according to her representative, "She even wanted to be late for her own funeral."<ref>{{cite news |url=http://edition.cnn.com/2011/SHOWBIZ/celebrity.news.gossip/03/24/taylor.funeral/ |title=Private burial service held for Elizabeth Taylor |date=March 25, 2011 |access-date=December 1, 2018 |publisher=CNN |archive-date=November 29, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191129051906/http://edition.cnn.com/2011/SHOWBIZ/celebrity.news.gossip/03/24/taylor.funeral/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> She was entombed in the cemetery's Great Mausoleum.<ref>{{cite news |first=Ewen |last=MacAskill |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2011/mar/25/elizabeth-taylor-funeral-la-celebrity |title=Elizabeth Taylor's funeral takes place in LA's celebrity cemetery |work=The Guardian |date=March 25, 2011 |access-date=December 1, 2018}}</ref>

===Los Angeles residence===
Taylor lived at [[700 Nimes Road]] in the [[Bel Air, Los Angeles|Bel Air]] district of Los Angeles from 1982 until her death in 2011. The art photographer [[Catherine Opie]] created an eponymous photographic study of the house in 2011.<ref name=AD11>{{cite news|url=https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/elizabeth-taylor-home-article|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200329204841/https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/elizabeth-taylor-home-article|url-status=dead|archive-date=March 29, 2020|title=Tour Elizabeth Taylor's House and Garden in Bel Air|date=January 25, 2016|author=Mitchell Owens|work=[[Architectural Digest]]|access-date=March 23, 2020}}</ref>