Liz Taylor treated for congestive heart failure

By CHRISTY LEMIRE

The Oscar-winning actress was at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Saturday, her spokeswoman Sally Morrison said. The 78-year-old Taylor first disclosed in November 2004 that she suffered from congestive heart failure. The condition was compounded with other ailments including spinal fractures and the effects of scoliosis. Morrison did not know how long Taylor would be in the hospital. Taylor had been scheduled to attend an amfAR benefit gala Wednesday night in New York, where she was to receive an award alongside President Bill Clinton and designer Diane von Furstenberg, celebrating their dedication to AIDS research. Elton John accepted the honor on her behalf. The actress had near-fatal bouts with pneumonia in 1961 and 1990, and another respiratory infection forced her to cancel all engagements for several weeks in late 1992. Both her hip joints were replaced in 1994 and 1995. She’s also battled ulcers, amoebic dysentery, bursitis, and had a benign brain tumor removed in 1997. In recent years, she has had to use a wheelchair when out in public. Taylor, who’s appeared in more than 50 films, won Oscars for her performances in “Butterfield 8” (1960) and “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” (1966). But she’s been just as famous for her marriages – all eight of them, including two to Richard Burton – and her lifelong battles with substance abuse, her weight and physical ailments, including numerous visits to the hospital for more than 20 major operations and countless treatments.