Liz Taylor’s Estate: Who Gets What
While we’re waiting for the details of Elizabeth Taylor’s estate to be made public, here are some things you should know. Taylor had a bank balance of somewhere between $600 million and $1 billion at the time of her death a week ago, according to the Hollywood Reporter. But this capital was the result not of her screen work, but smart business deals and evergreen sales of two of her Elizabeth Arden fragrances, White Diamonds and Passion, which the company reports have generated $1 billion in sales since 1991. White Diamonds is the bestselling celebrity perfume ever, and sales look set to escalate in coming months in tribute to the star. Taylor’s jewellery collection was valued at $150 million in 2002. It will now be auctioned, with the bulk of proceeds going to the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation and to amfAR, which she helped found in 1985. The most prized bit of bling in Taylor’s box was the La Peregrina pearl, whose previous owners include Queen Mary I. Taylor was given the pearl by Richard Burton on Valentine’s Day during their first marriage. But no one is quite sure yet whether Taylor gave any of the jewelry before her death to her four children, whom I sure are well-provided for. And there are reports that the cash in the estate (some estimates put it at $15 million) will go in large part to Taylor’s close friend and longtime manager, Jason Winters.
