Liz Taylor, the Queen of everything fabulous.

Good Morning Darlings,

I have some sad news (well via AP) The beautiful, talented, amazing Dame Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor has left our mere mortal earth.

She was a marvelous actress, but her life was even more spectacular. She lived without the fear of what other people would say about her, even though she was in the spotlight from such a young age. She did what she wanted when she wanted to do it, and if you didn't like it, c'est la vie.

She is one of the last living legends from her time. She embodies glamour like none of the Hollywood starlets today can. I mean, is there a Taylor/Burton sex tape? I think not! And, she really was before her time. She franchised herself and her fabulousness into a multimillion dollar company, complete with jewels and perfumes well before Ms. Spears and Ms. Hilton (did you know that Liz was married to Conrad Hilton? Her FIRST husband!!) were even born.

She was incredibly wealthy and married incredibly wealthy men. She probably has the largest and most valuable jewelry collection of any one private estate.

79 carats!

This is obviously only one piece. She had many of similar intensity. Richard Burton, her 5th (and 6th!!!) husband was notorious for buying her fabulous pieces of jewelry. He gave her a pearl that was once owned by Mary I of England. How many women can say that? Not many. But she took her love affair with jewels, and as silly as it sounds, made them available to the masses. I believe she was one of the first celebs to hawk their goods on QVC and make Jane Housewife feel like she too could be just as glamorous as her idols. I'm not being facetious here. I think that Liz was such an idol and inspiration to so many women around the world, that even feeling like you are wearing something similar to what she wears would be a great honour. 

But the legacy that she leaves that is most important (at least to me) is the work that she did with AIDs charities. For those of you who don't know, I have had this long running interest in AIDs (socially, not scientifically {because as much as I try, I don't understand it}), which sounds so strange, but is very true. I have read all about it, I read everything I can get my hands on. I think that it is fascinating, and incredibly upsetting at the same time. I don't know why I am so fascinated by it...but anyway, Liz did so much work with it.

What is amazing is that she was one of the pioneers of funding AIDs research and making sure that people knew that it was okay to be friends with people with HIV/AIDs. She helped start AMFAR and has her own Elizabeth Taylor AIDs fund. It is rumoured that her fund has raised over 70 million dollars to date. It gives me chills and is just incredible. She really took charge in the early days when nobody else (not our government, not her industry, not the doctors) would! Even ELTON credits her with starting the battle, and calls her "The Joan of Arc of AIDS funding."  (read more : http://www.dameelizabethtaylor.com/AIDS.html)

I think that it is amazing what this woman did with her life, and it is surely a sad day today. She will be missed by many who feel like they knew her through press, tv, and movies. She will be missed by those who she fought for when no one else would!

Go buy a bottle of white diamonds and spray it when you feel down and out and maybe a little bit of her spirit will enter the room and remind you of just how fabulous you are.

xoxo
LCF