Paying Respects Through Posts: Elizabeth Taylor

This morning, the lovely Dame Elizabeth Taylor passed away from congestive heart failure. She was an amazing actress, humanitarian, and animal lover. Some even say that she was one of the last of the real Hollywood movie stars. Some of her larger than life roles were included in the movies - Lassie Come Home, National Velvet, Father of the Bride, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, and Cleopatra. Taylor devoted much of her time to Aids related charities and also fought against animal testing. These are just some of the highlights of her amazing life.

I found out about her passing listening to the radio on my commute to Atlanta this morning. But for many, they found out through their social media accounts. Having to really pay attention to facebook and Twitter for my Atlanta Humane Society internship, I saw the floods of status updates mourning and celebrating the life of Elizabeth Taylor.

CNN host Piers Morgan even broke the news of Taylor’s death for the venerable cable network on his Twitter account this morning. Among the first celebrities to pay homage to Taylor on Twitter was singer Kylie Minogue, who tweeted: “RIP Dame Elizabeth Taylor…..Like a pure white diamond you’ll shine on and on and on.” I also paid homage to Elizabeth on Atlanta Humane Society's facebook page:

"R.I.P. Elizabeth Taylor. She was a wonderful actress, humanitarian and like all of us, loved her animals!"

Taylor was also a tweeter, and kept everyone up to date on what was going on in her life. Here is a tweet from October 2009 after a heart surgery:

Many people love and admire Dame Elizabeth Taylor. She truly is a Hollywood icon and an inspiration for helping others. I believe that her fan base grew through Web 2.0. Her loyal followers probably felt closer to her since she kept up with the social media trends. The numerous facebook and Twitter posts honoring her life are a testament to new new media's ability to connect us all.