The Hollywood screen legend died Wednesday of congestive heart failure at the age of 79. She was laid to rest at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale Thursday.
Friend and fellow philanthropist /*Elton John*/ paid tribute to Taylor during a concert in Pittsburgh, Penn., Wednesday night.
John dedicated the song "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" to the movie icon and /*AIDS*/ activist. He said Taylor was not only a movie star but a beautiful woman inside and out.
"She fought for the underdogs. She was without doubt one of the greatest people I have ever met in my life," said John.
Others remembered Taylor at one of her favorite spots, The Abby in /*West Hollywood*/. Taylor donated a portrait that hangs at the bar over the fireplace.
Taylor was a champion in the fight against HIV/AIDS. In 1984, she organized and hosted the first fundraiser to benefit AIDS Project Los Angeles.
Taylor also was the first celebrity to publicly support those suffering from AIDS. Her passion in raising money and awareness brought her an honorary /*Oscar*/ in 1993.
"She would rally, she would come out. She knew her celebrity status could get people, could get media attention and raise money," said Craig Thompson, former director of /*AIDS Project Los Angeles*/.
Along with her humanitarianism, she was a great actress, winning two Oscars for her acting career.
Her first Oscar was for "BUtterfield 8" in the 1960s. She won a second one six years later playing a raging alcoholic in "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?"
Taylor battled health problems her entire life. She had life-threatening bouts with pneumonia, a brain tumor and congestive heart failure in her 60s and 70s.
She also battled substance abuse and very publicly went through rehab.