Elizabeth Taylor dies

Los Angeles - Hollywood actress Elizabeth Taylor, famed her striking beauty and a film career that spanned five decades, has died at the age of 79, a statement by her publicist said on Wednesday.

"Legendary actress, businesswoman, and fearless activist Elizabeth Taylor died peacefully today in Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles," said the statement.

Taylor reportedly died of congestive heart failure.

Taylor was considered one of the greatest actresses of all-time - starring in classics like Cleopatra and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. She won an Academy Award for best actress twice for her roles in BUtterfield 8 and Who's Afraid of Virgina Woolf?

Extraordinary woman

"She was surrounded by her children - Michael Wilding, Christopher Wilding, Liza Todd, and Maria Burton," it added, noting that she was also survived by 10 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

"My mother was an extraordinary woman who lived life to the fullest, with great passion, humour, and love. Though her loss is devastating to those of us who held her so close and so dear, we will always be inspired by her enduring contribution to our world," her son, Michael Wilding, said in a statement.

"Her remarkable body of work in film, her ongoing success as a businesswoman, and her brave and relentless advocacy in the fight against HIV/Aids, all make us all incredibly proud of what she accomplished.

"We know, quite simply, that the world is a better place for Mom having lived in it. Her legacy will never fade, her spirit will always be with us, and her love will live forever in our hearts," he added.