Elizabeth Taylor leaves rumoured $1 billion fortune

LOS ANGELES: Hollywood icon Elizabeth Taylor has left behind a fortune worthy of a legend, a whopping USD 1 billion.The Oscar-winning star’s fortune makes her one of just 14 women in the world to have become self-made billionaires, reported The Independent online.Taylor became famous for the massive jewels she wore, valued at worth USD 270 million as far back as 2002 and was the first actress to ever get a 1 million pay cheque in Hollywood.Her famed jewel collection includes a ruby and diamond Cartier necklace from husband Mike Todd and the 33.19-carat Krupp diamond from her fifth husband, Richard Burton, as well as the famous 69.42-carat pear-shaped Burton-Taylor diamond which cost over USD 1 million in 1969.She was paid USD 4 million, the equivalent of USD 47 million today, to star with her fifth husband Richard Burton in ‘Cleopatra’ and has the best-selling celebrity perfume to her credit.Her joint fragrance venture with cosmetics firm Elizabeth Arden launched in 1991, including the famous scent ‘White Diamonds’, has since amassed USD 1 billion.The violet-eyed beauty had a portfolio of real estate valued in excess of USD 150 million, including her ranch-style home in Los Angeles.