The Late Elizabeth Taylor And Grace Kelly Once Made A 40th Birthday Pact

Elizabeth Taylor’s death came at the age of 79 following her storied acting career of several decades, wholly filled with tremendous impact in the film industry.

Taking a throwback into her life, the actress was grateful for every day she spent on earth and once revealed it was a “kind of miracle “that she attained her sixtieth birthday mark.

At that time, she disclosed she felt good about the achievement. The actress also recalled a birthday pact made with fellow actress Grace Kelly to mark their fortieth birthday in style. Here is how the icons planned to celebrate turning 40.

Taylor and Kelly were two-star actresses in an era when only a few women took up major actor roles. Unsurprisingly, they formed a bond that blossomed into a lifelong friendship. Months before the duo turned 40, they talked about their upcoming birthday and wondered how best to celebrate it.

After a little back and forth, Taylor and Kelly concluded their plan. The pair decided to eschew going quiet on their birthday and chose to make a noise out of it, having fun like never before.

Taylor also disclosed that Kelly had her party in Monte Carlo while she marked hers in Budapest. “I went to hers, and she came to mine … and we just entered our 40s with a blast,” she told Tonight Show host Johnny Carson during their only interview – available on YouTube.

In the interview, Carson also asked Taylor about an expensive diamond she reportedly owned at the time. Taylor responded by saying, “Oh, I still have it. “You don’t throw things like that out.”

The diamond was as large as a kumquat and is more known as the Taylor-Burton/Cartier diamond. Taylor received the gift from her then-husband Richard Burton in 1969. As per History, the jewelry was a 69-carat diamond and was worth $1.5 million at its initial purchase date.

During Kelly’s fortieth Monte Carlo birthday party, Taylor made a dazzling entrance into the event, wearing her costly diamond in a necklace. However, after finally parting ways with Burton, she reportedly sold off the diamond for $3 million.

Taylor’s interview with Carson occurred on February 21, 1992, and featured Ed McMahon as the co-host. The duo spent time quizzing the actress on many personal tidbits. At the start of the interview, Carson immediately referenced that it took a long time before Taylor decided to come on the show.

He added that he had been hosting The Tonight Show for more than 29 years, and Taylor kept turning down his invites for most of the period. The actress then jokingly revealed her real reason for granting the interview.

“I’m not plugging anything. I have nothing to sell,” Taylor told her host. “I really wanted to come on the show and thank you for 30 years of brilliant entertainment.”

While chatting with Carson, Taylor also revealed her plans for her 60th birthday. She chose to relive her childhood moments by taking a trip to a Disney theme park. Additionally, Taylor shared with the TV icon her surprise at lasting that long on the earth.

“I’ve almost died a couple of times. I’ve been pronounced dead,” she said.

Sadly, the interview was the only time Elizabeth Taylor would ever appear on The Tonight Show, as the opportunity never came up again. Taylor lived on for 19 years and died on March 23, 2011. Coincidentally, she and Carson died in the same year.