1.8
March 23, 2011

RIP, Liz.

Elizabeth Taylor Dies at Age 79.

Rest in peace Elizabeth Taylor, icon of glamor, beauty, and drama… if not the mindful life.

A star since the age of nine, Elizabeth Taylor is one of the most famous and beautiful actresses of all time, and one of the most photographed women in history. She holds the record for the most appearances on the cover of Life magazine (eleven times), and second most People covers (fourteen appearances, second only to Princess Diana).

“Everything was handed to me–looks, fame, wealth, honor, love. I rarely had to fight for anything.” ~Elizabeth Taylor

Elizabeth Taylor married eight times to seven husbands, most famously to the love of her life, actor Richard Burton, whom she married twice. In typical fashion, she was quoted as saying, “What do you expect me to do? Sleep alone?”

She made samsara look good, and did so with inspiring style, embodying in human form the Tibetan term yün, or richness.

As she became older, she started engaging in social activism. After the death of her friend Rock Hudson, she helped establish the American Foundation for AIDS Research and spent much of her time raising money for it. Her tone notably changed at this point, and with remarkable depth and wisdom, she said:

“I call upon you to draw from the depths of your being—to prove that we are a human race, to prove that our love outweighs our need to hate, that our compassion is more compelling than our need to blame.”

Unlike many actors and actresses whose stars shine bright then die out fast, she never stopped living fully both in the media spotlight and in her personal life. As The New York Times reported in her obiturary today: Late in life, she had many offers to write her memoirs, but she refused, saying with characteristic panache:

“Hell no, I’m still living my memoirs.”

Tribute:

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Read 2 Comments and Reply
X

Read 2 comments and reply

Top Contributors Latest

Elephant Journal  |  Contribution: 1,510,385