Actress Elizabeth Taylor has died of congestive heart failure at the age of 79 in the hospital where she was admitted, her publicist informed in a statement on Wednesday.

The Hollywood icon died on the evening of March 23 because of the heart condition she has suffered since November 2004. Last month, she was admitted at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center located in Los Angeles, California for close monitoring.

Liz Taylor died peacefully and was surrounded by her children namely, Christopher Wilding, Michael Wilding, Maria Burton and Liza Todd, at the hospital, her publicist said.

Apart from her children, the British-born American actress is survived by her ten grandchildren, as well as four great-grandchildren.

Elizabeth Taylor has been considered as one of the most legendary actresses of Hollywood’s golden age and a fearless activist.

She turned 79 on February 27, but she celebrated her birthday a month earlier with her family and friends as she was brought to the hospital ten days later to undergo a surgery for her leaky heart valve.

Dame Elizabeth had battled with her health condition for several years. She was often seen in a wheelchair at various events. She had at least five back injuries and three attacks of pneumonia.

She was also considered as a gay icon and has devoted much of her time to AIDS activism. She received a humanitarian award at the 2007 Macy’s Passport HIV/AIDS gala.

Instead of giving flowers, her family requested that people offer donations to the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation.