Elizabeth Taylor had a generous heart.
Taylor valued the art of giving a good gift, as her executive assistant and friend from 1990 until her 2011 death, Tim Mendelsontells PEOPLE.
“Every day was special for her, but she found ways of making life special,” Mendelson shares. “She was an actress, but she was an entertainer. she did have a people-pleasing aspect to her. She wanted people to have a good time. She was very giving.”
Mendelson explains that Taylor really valued the fact that “she had a really special life.”
“She wanted to share that with other people. I think that was a gift from her, to not have to wait, not have to save things. She wasn’t a saver. She was a celebrator. She celebrated her birthday and other people’s, but every day was a celebration for her, if it could be.”
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Elizabeth Taylor in 1988.
Photo of Elizabeth Taylor by Hulton Archive/Getty Images
It was a running joke among her friends that gifts knew few, if any, bounds.
“Even the housekeepers, they had diamond tennis bracelets,” Mendelson laughs. “People would come over, they’re like, ‘Why are the housekeepers all wearing diamonds?’ It’s like, well, because Elizabeth liked to share.”
The exchange of jewelry was commonplace in Taylor’s life, with gifts from her romantic partners, business partners, and even friends. “We all knew that Elizabeth loved jewelry more than anything, in terms of gifts. Friends of hers, like Michael Jackson, loved to give her jewelry.”
Michael Jackson and Elizabeth Taylor.
Dave Hogan/Getty Images
Taylor left the people closest to her “pieces of jewelry that had their own symbolism, and reason the recipient would understand” after her passing.
“So many of her pieces had been famous before she received them, and then would go on, and be famous after she was gone. But they had a longer life than mere mortals,” he explains.
“She wasn’t a snob about things. It really was the symbolism behind them. So when somebody would go out, and just pick out something really pretty that had something to do with her, that showed some kind of thought, she really appreciated that. She loved to pick out gifts for other people, and she loved to surprise people, too.”
Mendelson continues, “Part of that was because she did have a lot of tragedy in her life, so she recognized that you kind of have to take the good days when they’re there.”
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