As you’ve, no doubt, heard by now, Hollywood and the world lost, arguably, THE iconic movie star since the start of film, Elizabeth Taylor.  At 79 years of age, somehow, it seems as though her life has been cut short and, yet, when we look over her storied life and career, it seems as though she possessed feline characteristics by having living nine lives to their fullest.

Baby Boomers have long been captivated by the perennial beauty and the many ups and downs in Dame Taylor’s life. Drop-dead gorgeous and classy to the very end, people the world over lived vicariously through her life, watching her every move and hungry for every bit of news about her.

Much of what has been said about Ms. Taylor has focused on her marriages and various personal battles.  Thank God our own lives haven’t been lived under the glare of the camera lights and public scrutiny.  My preference is to not only remember her eternal beauty but also her entrepreneurial endeavors and incredible work for a wide variety of causes.

Ms. Taylor’s line of perfume is reported to have generated $200 million in world-wide sales.  Remember those commercials that focused on her eyes that still made men’s hearts melt once their gaze locked in on hers? 

In recent years, there was her tireless work for many different charities related to the fight against AIDS and HIV and to increase awareness of the dreaded illness.  Ms. Taylor put an elegant face on a life-and-death battle that society, at that time, tried to pretend didn’t exist.

However, what I found particularly, remarkably heroic, was Dame Taylor’s offering of herself in exchange for the Jewish hostages taking during the infamous Entebbe hijacking incident in 1976.  For those of you unfamiliar with Ms. Taylor’s religious beliefs, she converted to Judiasm in the late fifties and lent substantial financial support to Israel and related causes during her life.  This not only came at great cost to her at various times in her career, but she had to know that the terrorists at Entebbe knew this, too.  Had they taken her up on her offer, there was a real good chance that she could have been part of the remarkably short list of those murdered during that attack. 

While Elizabeth Taylor was an extraordinary person who lived an extraordinary life, she leaves us all with the inspiration to all ordinary people that we, too, can do extraordinary things to make this world a better place.

Rest in peace, Ms. Taylor, and may the peace and grace of God rest on your children and their familes.