(Cover) - EN Showbiz - Dame Elizabeth Taylors son Michael Wilding is proud of her enduring contribution to the world, following her death.

The screen icon passed away this morning aged 79. She had spent the last two months at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, where she was hospitalised with congestive heart failure.

Elizabeth was as renowned for her colourful personal life as she was her movie career. She was married eight times to seven different men, and had four children. Her son Michael who Elizabeth had with her second spouse Michael Wilding has released a statement following her death, in which he pays tribute to her legacy.

My mother was an extraordinary woman who lived life to the fullest, with great passion, humour, and love," he said. "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 remarkable body of work in film, her on-going 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."

Michael was with his mother when she passed away, as were her other kids Christopher Wilding, Elizabeth Liza Todd and Maria Burton.

The star also had ten grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

Elizabeths funeral will take place later this week, while a memorial service is expected to be announced in the coming weeks. (C) Cover Media