Elizabeth Taylor | Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center | Larry Fortensky and Elizabeth Taylor | Source: Getty Images | Youtube.com/Providence
Elizabeth Taylor was involved in many relationships, one of which was with Larry Fortensky. The pair had an amazing bond that stayed intact despite calling it quits on their romance. Inside Taylor and Fortensky's beautiful relationship.
British American Actress Elizabeth Taylor was one of the most talked-about celebrities of her time. The icon's love life brought her as much attention as her career; she tied the knot eight times before her demise.
One of Taylor's most talked about unions was her seventh marriage to American Lawyer and Politician John Warner. The pair exchanged wedding vows on December 4, 1976. But unfortunately, the marriage lasted only six years before they called it quit on November 7, 1982.
Elizabeth Taylor (1932-2011), British actress, wearing a green sleeveless low-cut dress, with a white fur wrap on the arm of the armchair in which she sits, circa 1950. | Source: Getty Images
Many years after their divorce, Taylor would reveal that she and Warner loved each other, but everything changed when the latter decided to be a politician. According to the actress, Warner's "whole family vaporized."
At that point, she had no other option but to leave the marriage. However, a few years later, the actress would find love again in the arms of a man who was very different from Warner. Here are more details of Taylor's marital life, especially her relationship with her last husband.
DETAILS OF TAYLOR'S EIGHTH MARRIAGE
Actress Elizabeth Taylor (1932 - 2011) and her husband Larry Fortensky (1952 - 2016) attending the Carousel of Hope at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, USA, 16th May 1992. | Source: Getty Images
Taylor's eighth and final marriage was to American Construction Worker Larry Fortensky. The pair were an unlikely match as Fortensky had rugged looks and working-class roots as opposed to Taylor's glamorous movie star lifestyle. Still, it did not stop their romance from happening.
The former couple first crossed paths in 1988 at Betty Ford Clinic, where they were both undergoing treatment for addiction. Taylor had been battling drug addiction for a while, while Fortensky needed to win the battle over alcoholism.
Upon their meeting, the construction worker said he knew who Taylor was, but the actress's status was not why he was attracted to her. According to Fortensky, Taylor was funny, sweet, and good-looking. The more he got to know her, the more he discovered how lovely she was.
Larry Fortensky (1952-2016) and wife British-American actress Elizabeth Taylor (1932-2011) attend the 65th Annual Academy Awards at the Shrine Auditorium on March 29, 1993 in Los Angeles, California. | Source: Getty Images
Soon, the pair started dating, and by October 6, 1991, they were married. The early stages of their marriage were filled with so much happiness. There was no room for pretense, as Taylor trusted her husband and stayed true to herself with him.
She proved it during a trip to Switzerland, which Fortensky would recall many years later. According to the construction worker, the memorable incident happened in 1992, the year after their marriage. In Fortensky's words:
"We were in bed and she sat up and said, 'I want to make a snow angel.' She grabbed a fur coat and put it over her nightdress. I chased her outside, and she fell in the snow and started waving her arms around giggling like a little girl."
Elizabeth Taylor and Larry Fortensky circa 1990 in New York City. | Source: Getty Images
Even though the actress was 20 years older, Fortensky said she had a childishness about her. He explained that Taylor loved playing with her jewelry collection. She would get it out and sit on the bed playing.
With how beautiful the pair's union seemed, one would have thought their marriage would last a lifetime, but it did not. At some point in the marriage, Taylor confessed that she and Fortensky began having issues over little things. For example, if she wanted to read to go to bed, the light bothered her husband.
Also, it was okay for Fortensky to watch TV before going to bed, but according to Taylor, it was a problem whenever she did. All of these issues contributed to the end of their marriage in 1996. Afterward, Taylor vowed never to get married again.
THE PAIR'S RELATIONSHIP AFTERWARD
Actress Liz Taylor attends amfAR's "Cinema Against AIDS" benefit during the 56th International Cannes Film Festival 2003 on May 22, 2003 in Cannes, France. | Source: Getty Images
Following their split, Taylor and Fortensky still maintained a healthy friendship. The pair often spoke for hours over the phone, several times a month. The ex-couple was so close that "The Flintstones" star left her ex-husband £500,000 in her will.
Fortensky explained that the money came from Taylor's generosity, as opposed to some false news that he begged the actress for money and was a gold digger. According to the construction worker, he never begged Taylor for a dime and cherished their friendship until her demise.
Actress Elizabeth Taylor stands January 19, 1992 in Los Angeles, CA. Taylor became a child star after her appearance in "National Velvet" and later won Academy Awards for her performances in "Butterfield 8" and " Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" | Source: Getty Images
Indeed, Taylor and Fortensky were great friends. Even when the latter had a drastic fall in 1999, which left him in a coma for six weeks and caused short-term memory loss, Taylor sent him a beautiful letter shortly after. It read:
"Darling Larry. I've been thinking of you often lately and worry about you. I don't know why, just one of my feelings. I don't know if you're working or not...so I'm going to rely on my gut feelings."
Actress Elizabeth Taylor posing with her Cecil B. DeMille Award for Lifetime Achievement at the 42nd Annual Golden Globe Awards, Los Angeles, California, January 27, 1985. | Source: Getty Images
Taylor concluded the message by stating that she would like to send him a thousand a month for the rest of her life or until she goes broke. The monthly financial assistance Fortensky received from Taylor helped him immensely, as he was not working then.
But the actress's help caused a rift in the family. Fortensky said his only daughter tried to get her hands on his money after his accident, for which he would never speak to her again.
FRIENDS UNTIL THE END
Elizabeth Taylor file photo. | Source: Getty Images
Taylor and Fortensky kept their bond until the former died in 2011. They talked on the phone at least twice a month, including the day the actress went into the hospital for the last time. Recalling their last conversation, Fortensky said the actress's voice was weak due to the fluid in her lungs due to heart failure.
Yet, Taylor was optimistic that she would be okay. Unfortunately, a few days later, she passed away. Fortensky made it known that he heard about his ex-wife's death on television and was shocked.
Dame Elizabeth Taylor arrives with her children, (L-R) Michael Wilding Jr., Christopher Wilding, Maria Burton and Liza Todd Burton, for Taylor's 75th birthday party at the Ritz-Carlton, Lake Las Vegas on February 27, 2007 in Henderson, Nevada. | Source: Getty Images
Thankfully, Fortensky had one last love letter from Taylor, which he could always use to keep the actress alive in his heart. According to Fortensky's sister, Linda, the letter, which was almost a goodbye note, detailed how much Taylor still loved her ex-husband.
Not only did the actress leave one last love letter, but she also increased Fortensky's monthly payments to $3,000, and he did not have to work.
Actress Elizabeth Taylor (1932 - 2011) stars in the MGM film, 'Cat On A Hot Tin Roof', 1958. | Source: Getty Images
Upon Taylor's death, Fortensky received a letter from the actress's estate lawyers, noting that he would be given $500,000 from her will. Overall, Fortensky could not be more grateful for the gift. He said:
"I love her, I always will. And I know she loved me too."
The construction worker eventually passed away at 64 on July 7, 2016, after a battle with Melanoma, and his remains were cremated and given to his sister, Linda.
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