Elizabeth Taylor, Dead at 79

Elizabeth Taylor, who went from child star to Hollywood sex symbol to cinema grand dame, is dead at age 79. Taylor, who was born in England to American parents, was a close friend of another child star who, by contrast, never seemed to grow up: Michael Jackson. She burst into the public eye with "National Velvet" in 1944 and went on to star in more than 60 films, collecting two Oscars along the way.

Taylor became a poster child for bad marriages, tallying eight during a tumultuous personal life with stars from Eddie Fisher to Richard Burton. But late in life, Taylor became a strong advocate for charitable causes; one of her main issues was AIDS, which she saw devastate her friend Rock Hudson.

Read more about Taylor in the Washington Post.