Paul Newman gave touching tribute to Elizabeth Taylor!

Paul Newman was a huge fan of Elizabeth Taylor.

Newman who passed away in 2008 starred alongside Taylor in the 1958 classic movie Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, and in a documentary tribute to the actress he described her a “gifted artist”.

Newman said Taylor was “a functioning voluptuary … a courageous survivor, a helluva actress and someone I am extremely proud to know.”

“So much has been written for many years about Elizabeth Taylor, is there anything left to say? That she was and is an extraordinary gifted artist is a matter of recordm” he added.

“On the screen her very presence seems to radiate charm. She is a very intuitive actress, she knows her instrument and knows how to make it work. One thing’s for sure, she is not afraid to take chances in front of people. I find a lot of actors who reach the top, they become very protective of themselves, and self-indulgent, but not Elizabeth.”

And while “she practically grew up in front of the camera,” Newman noted, “her life has not been an easy or a private one, but a series of tribulations, serious illnesses, senseless tragedy and lost love.”

“One thing for sure: She is not afraid to take chances in front of people. I find a lot of actors who reach the top, they become very protective of themselves, and self-indulgent, but not Elizabeth,” added Newman. “I was always staggered by her ferocity.”

Elizabeth passed away in the early hours of Wednesday morning after battling congestive heart failure. She had been hospitalized two months ago at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, where she was treated for heart problems, and it was there she passed away.

Her son Michael Wilding released a statement, saying, “My mother was an extraordinary woman who lived life to the fullest, with great passion, humor and love.

“Though her loss is devastating to those of us who held her so close and so dear, we will always be inspired by her enduring contribution to our world. Her remarkable body of work in film, her ongoing success as a businesswoman, and her brave and relentless advocacy in the fight against HIV and AIDS, all make us all incredibly proud of what she accomplished.

“We know, quite simply, that the world is a better place for mom having lived in it. Her legacy will never fade, her spirit will always be with us, and her love will live forever in our hearts.”

The British-American star is acknowledged as one of the greatest actresses of Hollywood’s ‘Golden Age’, starting her career aged 11 and appearing in classics such as Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, The Last Time I Saw Paris and Cleopatra, where she played the titular role of the Egyptian pharaoh.

Taylor won two Best Actress Oscars in the 1960s, for her roles in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf and Butterfield 8.

A lover of the silver screen until her last days, Taylor reportedly spent her 79th birthday on February 27 watching the Oscars from her hospital bed.

The screen legend was just as famous for her colorful private life as she was for her glittering career and was wed eight times to seven different men Conrad Hilton,Michael Wilding, Michael Todd, Eddie Fisher, Richard Burton, who she was divorced from twice, John Warner and Larry Fortensky during her lifetime.

She also developed a strong friendship with Michael Jackson and they stayed close right up until his death in June 2009.

Taylor made a rare public appearance to attend the King of Pop’s private funeral in September 2009.