On March 23, one of Hollywood’s renowned Golden Age actresses, the violet-eyed Elizabeth Taylor, died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles at age 79.

The two-time Oscar winner dealt with various health problems over the years, but she was hospitalized in February for congestive heart failure, which she was diagnosed with in 2004.

Taylor’s son, Michael Wilding, said in a statement read on “Good Morning America” that his mother “was an extraordinary woman who lived life to the fullest, with great passion, humor, and love. Though her loss is devastating to those of us who held her so close and dear, we will always be inspired by her enduring contribution to our world.”

Born to American parents in London on Feb. 27, 1932, Taylor moved to America in 1939. Here, she easily made the leap from child star to superstar. She starred in over seventy films, including “National Velvet,” “Cleopatra,” “Giant,” “Father of the Bride,” and “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?”

Taylor also dedicated much of her life to AIDS research, helping to start the American Foundation of AIDS research (amfAR). She also created her own AIDS foundation, the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation (ETAF).

She had an innate passion for jewelry, and owned the well-known Krupp Diamond, as well as the Taylor-Burton Diamond. Taylor also designed jewels for The Elizabeth Collection, and in 2006, celebrated the 15th anniversary of her White Diamonds perfume – one of the top ten best-selling fragrances in the past decade.

Of course, while the fashion icon and international sex symbol was known for her glamorous inside life, she was also known for her string of love affairs with leading men. Taylor married eight times to seven men, including socialite Conrad Hilton, English actor Michael Wilding, and politician John Warner.

The actress is survived by four children, and nine grandchildren.

“Everything was handed to me. Looks, fame, wealth, honors, love. But I’ve paid for that luck with disasters, the deaths of so many good friends, terrible illnesses, destructive addictions, broken marriages,” Taylor said in a 1992 “Life” magazine interview. “All things considered, I’m damned lucky to be alive.”