Shining Through Scandal: The Incredible Life Of Elizabeth Taylor

Taylor’s Near-Death Experience With Pneumonia

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Despite the fact that it was her first Oscar win, some critics speculate that Elizabeth Taylor was granted the award out of pity. In the months leading up to the 1961 Academy Awards, Taylor had fallen incredibly ill in Europe—so much so that she was on the brink of death. A severe case of pneumonia prompted Taylor to undergo an emergency tracheotomy. Within a couple weeks, Taylor was recovering just fine and she appeared at the Oscars ceremony with her tracheotomy scar in full view. Upon being handed her Oscar, she quietly gasped into the microphone, “I don’t know how to express my gratitude for this and for everything. All I can say is thank you, thank you with all my heart.”