> i will never leave you. >> remembering eliz"> > i will never leave you. >> remembering eliz" property="og:description"> > i will never leave you. >> remembering eliz">
who else could make worldwide headlines with an affair on the set of the movie "cleo pat electra." >> i will never leave you. >> remembering elizabeth taylor. this is a special edition of piers morgan tonight. good occasion. tonight, hollywood and the world are remembering elizabeth taylor. we begin with carol bayer sagen, the oscar winning writer of "that's what friends are for." she was a friend of elizabeth's for many years, and she was at her bedside when she passed away. what were your feelings when she finally died. it must have been a bittersweet moment? >> yes, i mean, i went there last night to say good bye. and i knew she was going. and i hated that she'd been in hospital for seven weeks. but she wasn't in pain last night. and she wasn't really conscious when i saw her, but i was there with liza and maria, two of her daughters. her two daughters. and i was able to say good-bye. and what i want to say, piers is that she was an extraordinary friend. not just for the good times, elizabeth showed up. she showed up in my life when my marriage broke up many years ago. and -- to burt baccarat. she was there, she was there for her friends, for her family. her assistant tim, who's been with her for 20 years, when his mother died this year, she insisted that she come and stay at her home, and she made a hospice for tim's mom. and she made a hospice for her long time publicist who died a number of years ago. and she died in elizabeth's home. she was there for roddey mcdowell who she loved dearly. they were child actors together. and she held him in her arms, and she knew how to show up. she showed up for michael jack son when he needed support. she flew across the world to be with him, years before the big case, the incident. before that. she was an extraordinary, loving, generous friend. >> how was she toward the end of her life, do you think? i got a sense of frustration about getting old and being so frail and ill all the time. >> i don't think it was about getting old, i think it was not being fully vital. she was in a wheelchair for the last few years of her life. and then this year she fractured both of her knees and literally had to be carried out of the wheelchair and out of the hospital bed. so her life. she couldn't do the things. i mean, she did -- she was so brave. that's another thing i want to say, she was so brave, because most of her life she endured chronic back pain. and she brought all this light and love and generosity to this world in spite of the fact that often she was in pain. and i think the last few years in my -- this is just my feeling, didn't bring her as much joy, because her body was failing. and she wasn't, her spirit wasn't, but her body was, and it had lived a lot and suffered a lot. >> carol, what do you think would be the way she would like to be remembered? what was most important to elizabeth, do you think? >> most important to elizabeth were her family, her friends, her care about aids research, standing up before anyone that we knew of in hollywood stood up after her friend rock hudson died a terrible death from aids. she came out and supported amfar and later her own foundation. she came to the studio with me when burt baccarat were putting on stevie wonder and gladys knight. it was then i realized we should give the money to elizabeth for amfar. i think she'd want to be known as an actress who cared very deeply about her friends and this world. >> a remarkably personal tribute to elizabeth taylor, thank you very much indeed. >> you're welcome, piers. joan collins joins me now. you have an interesting history with elizabeth taylor. she got this great role in cleopatra and you were in the running for that role. >> yes, i was under contract for 20th century fox when they decided to make "cleopatra." i did several tests, they didn't joan collins joins me now. you have an interesting history with elizabeth taylor. she got this great role in cleopatra and you were in the running for that role. >> yes, i was under contract for 20th century fox when they decided to make "cleopatra." i did several tests, they didn't bring out the big guns for my tests. they were building sets and it became very expensive. they decided they didn't want little old me because i wasn't a big star, they decided they would go to the top female of the time. they went to her and offered her a million -- they didn't offer her, she said she would do it for a million dollars. she was the first million dollar actress. this was i think 1962. she did it, and i didn't get the part. but about a year later, i'm lying in bed, my agent calls me and said, stand by to get on the next plane to london. i said why, what's happening? he said, elizabeth is very, very sick. they think she's going to die, she's in the hospital in london, and they want you to take over as cleopatra. i said, i can't do that. she's a friend of mine, i would they think she's going to die, she's in the hospital in london, and they want you to take over as cleopatra. i said, i can't do that. she's a friend of mine, i would feel absolutely dreadful to do that if she's going to die, that i'm going to go over and take over as cleopatra? he said, this is showbiz kid, you wait by the phone. i sat by the phone all day biting my nails, hoping she would get better, and, of course, she did get better as we all know, and i didn't get cleopatra, but she got richard burton, which is another story. >> she was quite a remarkable star, wasn't she? >> oh! >> there was something special about liz taylor, wasn't there? >> well, i remember when i first saw her, everyone wanted to look like -- not when i first saw her, when she did "a date with judy" when she was about 15. everybody, all my friends, all of us at school, we all wanted to look like her, have the big eyebrows, and the black hair, and the beauty mark. and she was phenomenal, and i kept a scrap book on her, which is why it was so fascinating for me a few years later in hollywood to meet her at mgm in the make-up room. and that she was sew sweet, because she was showing pictures of her children to everybody. and she was very baudy. i think that's something a lot of people didn't know about her, she liked a salty turn of phrase, but then us english actresses did that. >> you shared a fall of husbands. you have 13 between you. >> that's true. and in fact the last time i got a divorce, she sent me a note and said i'm still ahead by three. i said, don't worry, liz, i'm going to catch up. i didn't call her liz, i always called her elizabeth. she didn't like being called liz. i think people had a huge amount of respect for her, the thing that was so amazing about her, most women really liked her. she was a gal's gal, you know? like carol just said, she was so one of the girls, and people -- men just fell all over themselves for her. >> an amazing woman, an incredible actress. joan collins, thank you so much for that insight. i appreciate it. i want to bring in someone i think people had a huge amount of respect for her, the thing that was so amazing about her, most women really liked her. she was a gal's gal, you know? like carol just said, she was so one of the girls, and people -- men just fell all over themselves for her. >> an amazing woman, an incredible actress. joan collins, thank you so much for that insight. i appreciate it. i want to bring in someone who interviewed elizabeth taylor more than anyone else. it must be a sad day for you. >> it is. i knew her since the late 1970s. she was extraordinary in so many ways. if you would look at her life, she was a great child star. look at "national velvet" that picture holds up. a great screen actress despite her beauty. sometimes people are so beautiful people overlook how talented they are. she changed her faith, she became jewish. she broke up a marriage, debbie reynolds and eddie fisher. retained her dignity. told me once the great love of her life was mike todd who died in a plane crash. she was so giving, when she supported you you had no better friend. there's a lot of comparisons between sinatra and her. when they stood up for you, they stood up for you. michael jackson, she was in the front row. first real star to stand up for aids, so many things about her. in fact, everybody you can do in life, she did. >> larry, i want to play a chip from one of your interviews, this is from 2006. i'll talk to you after we've watched a bit of this. >> is it hard elizabeth or easy to work with someone you're in love with? >> no, i've never had a better time in my life. >> than working with richard? >> yeah, on virginia woolf. >> you fight him tooth and nail? >> we got it all out on the set and we'd go home, have dinner with the children, play word games with them, and learn our lines after dinner and go to sleep. >> did you love doing that play? >> i did. >> because that -- that's top of the crop writing isn't it? >> wonderful. and wonderful words to wrap your lips around. >> how do you like -- was richard a helpful actor? >> he was a brilliant actor. and helpful and we were on the same beat so much, that we triggered each other. >> is that still the ring he gave you? >> well, i don't throw it off -- >> can we get a shot of this ring, because it's sinking ships and -- does this -- was this his engagement ring to you? >> no, it was like a couple years later. >> just a gift? >> yeah. >> a bauble. >> just a tiny little massive rock there, larry. >> what do you think -- you. >> would have loved her, piers. she was a great interview, because she gave you what you wanted. >> what did you think made her -- >> she knew how to respond. >> what do you think made her such a great star. you said earlier, she was possibly the last of the great, great stars. what made her that? >> because of the company -- first of all, piers, you've never seen eyes like elizabeth taylor's. they were violet, they were deep violet. she was a tiny woman, she was not tall at all. tiny. but she had a face that went right through you. she had that. she had a magnificent presence. and that lasted -- when you say she was the last, she was the last. there's no one could step in her shoes. i was talking today to someone. i couldn't think anyone in the film industry today who could sadly pass away, pick anyone, who would have the attention she is getting today around the world. >> that's very true. as i was saying to joan collins earlier, she was married eight times. so were you, larry. i always thought the easier thing for the two of you would have been to get together while you were younger. >> no, we had a friendship. >> it might have saved you a lot of money? >> yeah. >> what was she like away from the cameras, larry? >> same as she was on camera. she told you what she thought, she was fun to be with, she was very funny. she had a great sense of humor, a great sense of herself, and what she wanted. when the aids thing burst on the scene, she was the first. she had all these movie stars to join with her. she urged the president to pay more attention to it. she was in it, before rock hudson acquired it, she was into aids. in the early '80s, when we first became aware of the term, and when she fought for something she fought for it vigorously. she fought for it with all she had. the word that felts her, passion. she was passionate about everything. she soaked it up, she soaked up the room. she changed the room when she walked in it. we'll never see her likes again. never. >> i think the world is going to miss elizabeth taylor, aren't they, larry? >> they sure are. even though we doesn't see much of her the last couple years, she was very ill. we'll never have anyone -- we know elizabeth taylor, she died at 79. we knew her for 65 years. >> amazing. an amazing life. larry king, thank you very much indeed. >> thank you, piers. when we come back, my exclusive interview who knew elizabeth taylor as no one else could, her stepdaughter carrie fisher. big deal is on a mission for priceline. uncovering hotel freebies like instant discounts, free-nights... ...and free breakfast at hotels in virtually every city. so, thanks to this large man in a little jetpack... you can search thousands of hotel freebies... right now only at priceline. people have all kinds of retirement questions. no problem. td ameritrade has all kinds of answers. call us. for quick help opening your new ira. or an in-depth talk with a retirement expert. like me. stop by my branch for a free retirement check-up. retirement hows and how-muches? whens... and what-ifs? bring 'em on. it's free. you're gonna retire. and we're gonna help. retirement answers at td ameritrade. where millions of people trust their retirement investments. i'm sick of opening that door and find you boozed up, burninged up -- >> i can always be honest with you. >> joining me now, elizabeth's stepdaughter carrie fisher. thanks for agreeing to do this interview. it must be a sad day for you. >> very sad. i lost my father this year, and not that many months ago, and actually, i called elizabeth to tell her when he passed, and she cried. >> did she really? >> which i thought was incredibly sweet. i mean she had really a sense of family, even -- bizarre, someone she had been married to so long ago. >> what kind of person was elizabeth taylor away from the glare of the media coverage? what was the real elizabeth like do you think? >> well, to me, she really, she literally loved a good time, you know? she -- i remember one time she pushed me in the pool after establishing that i wouldn't pull her in afterwards, and she used to have these egg hunts at her house for all the children. she seemed to love doing stuff like that. she just -- one night we went on a double date, it was elizabeth and michael jackson and shirley maclaine and myself. no one noticed shirley and i. michael had given her that -- michael gave her jewelry. and she loved presents, and he had given her these earrings and a necklace that night. and i remember how happy she was. >> your father and elizabeth famously didn't speak for nearly 40 years until 2007. but your mother said she spoke to her just two weeks ago, and they had a very good conversation. >> yes, she -- my mother said, you know, elizabeth wasn't feeling that well, and i think like carol said, she just -- you know, she was someone who really enjoyed having a vital life, and to be sort of bedridden like that, i don't -- i think she'd rather be in bed another way. so she wasn't -- you know, she wasn't enjoying herself. >> for you, carrie, what was it like growing up in the glare of such overwhelming publicity and these huge stars around you all the time? it couldn't have been normal. >> well, i have no idea -- it was my normal. i had nothing to compare it to. but, you know, she was a very -- i mean, ultimately, i became friends with her, and, you know, i liked -- the celebrities of that time, i mean, like people were saying, the paparazzi, they would literally live in the yard. i mean, the scandal of my father leaving my mother for elizabeth. and i would spend -- over the years, i once was having a cooking lesson, and the woman said to me, i hate your father. i -- you know, he left her for that woman. people carried that scandal with them forever, and they would talk to me in the abstract in a way. >> what do you think your father ended up thinking about elizabeth? >> i know what he thought. he loved her. i mean, my father said -- i was talking to him, one of the last times i saw him, he said, she -- she was the source. that's what he said, she was just this -- i got the feeling -- it was this tremendous source of vie tailty, of just embracing life. >> she certainly was. we're going to take a short break. when we come back, i want to talk to you some more about you stepmother, elizabeth taylor. [ jane ] here's me. and here's my depression. before i started taking abilify, i was taking an antidepressant alone. most days i could put on a brave face and muddle through. but other days i still struggled with my depression. i was managing, but it always had a way of creeping up on me. i felt stuck. i just couldn't shake my depression. so i talked to my doctor. he said adding abilify to my antidepressant could help with my depression, and that some people had symptom improvement as early as 1 to 2 weeks. he also told me about a free trial offer from abilify! now i feel more in control of my depression. [ male announcer ] abilify is not for everyone. call your doctor if your depression worsens or if you have unusual changes in behavior, or thoughts of suicide. antidepressants can increase these in children, teens and young adults. elderly dementia patients taking abilify have an increased risk of death or stroke. call your doctor if you have high fever, stiff muscles and confusion to address a possible life-threatening condition. or if you have uncontrollable muscle movements, as these could become permanent. high blood sugar has been reported with abilify and medicines like it. in some cases, extreme high blood sugar can lead to coma or death. other risks include decreases in white blood cells, which can be serious, dizziness upon standing, seizures, trouble swallowing, and impaired judgment or motor skills. depression used to define me, then my doctor added abilify to my antidepressant. now, i feel better. [ male announcer ] if you're still struggling with depression talk to your doctor to see if the option of adding abilify is right for you. and be sure to ask about the free trial offer. i wish your mother was here. >> she is here, she's inside me. >> velvet, you'll be disqualified at the end when they find out you're a girl. you'll have to forfeit the prize money, and they may even send you to prison for fraud. and if there's any trouble, you tell them it was me -- >> elizabeth taylor in the role that made her a star, "national velvet ,"and now her stepdaughter carrie fisher. there's something absolutely mesmeric about elizabeth taylor on screen. i've been in awe of her beauty, the radiance she brought to a screen. what is your impression of her as an actress? >> well, i mean she glowed. if she was on screen, you didn't look at anyone else perhaps with the exception of montgomery clift. in a way they sort of looked alike, and they had become very close friends, and she -- he had gotten in a terrible accident leaving her house, and she actually saved is his life. she pulled his teeth from his throat. so she just -- and she loved her -- she loved acting. she actually -- i wrote something, this bizarre cheesy movie called "these old broads," and it starred my mother and elizabeth and joan collins and shirley, and my mother and liz -- elizabeth had this scene where they basically were talking about my father referring to him as freddie, i believe, something subtle like that. >> she obviously had many passions in her life. she was quoted as saying that life's about having passions, and whether it was acting or her work for aids charities, you could see that driving her every day, but the real passion, it seemed to me, was always men, and she had all these amazingly charismatic male figures in her life. tonight we've heard from joan collins and larry king. two different names put forward as the great love of her life, one, richard burton, the other, michael todd. what do you think? >> well, i think when i spoke to her -- i said to her one night, you know, did you -- did you love my father? and she said, "we kept mike todd alive," because my father and mike todd had been best friends, and subsequently my father actually adopted liza todd, and i said to her, "so, mike, he must have been extraordinary." and she said "he was amazing, he just -- you know, there was no one like him," so, you know, and their relationship was obviously, you know, cut short by his terrible plane accident, so, you know, with richard they -- you know, their relati