Elizabeth Taylor Kept Last Love Letter from Her Ex-spouse till the End, Begged to Be Buried with It

Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton captivated the public with their whirlwind romance, which began with a chance encounter at a pool. Their scandals and marital turmoil ultimately secured their places in entertainment history.

A remarkable love story unfolded under the surface of their troubled union— Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton’s relationship was anything but ordinary. Despite its complexities, it captivated fans with its intriguing dynamics.

Burton’s heartfelt love letters to Taylor witness the intense passion and romance that defined their special connection. These letters showed undeniable evidence of their affection for each other.

Elizabeth Taylor married eight times in her life! But she carried only one man in her heart till the end – Richard Burton.

They fought so much that they smashed TVs and trashed hotel rooms. They loved so much that even after the divorce, they got back together, unable to stay away from each other.

Elizabeth and her Richard. She kept his love letter near her bed for nearly three decades and eventually took it to the grave.

Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor‘s complex love story is detailed in the book “Furious Love” by authors Sam Kashner and Nancy Schoenberger, who both compiled the couple’s 40 letters, exclusive interviews, and excerpts from Burton’s diary.

Their story began in 1953 at a glamorous Hollywood party. Burton was mesmerized by then-21-year-old Taylor, who was already a seasoned actress at the time.

Burton, then 28, recounted in his diary the moment he saw Taylor for the first time: she sat across the pool with a book put down; she removed her sunglasses and looked toward him.

Taylor possessed extraordinary beauty and an irresistible, intense presence. Despite this, Burton confided in his diary that Taylor completely ignored him.

The book also featured another part of the couple’s on-screen and off-screen romances. This happened when Taylor and Burton were cast in the “Cleopatra” film—she as the Egyptian Queen and him as Mark Antony.

While fully dressed in costume and makeup on the set, Burton condescendingly remarked that Taylor was a pretty girl. According to Taylor’s 1958 self-titled memoir, this remark surprised her, noting that he was “the great intellectual of Wales, and he comes out with a line like that.”

On their first day of filming together, though, Burton’s vulnerability and hungover state moved Taylor. Soon, both stars fell in love, causing a global sensation that affected their marriages and the film’s production.

Taylor’s then-fourth husband, Eddie Fisher, once dialed his own home and heard Burton’s voice, suggesting an extramarital affair. While Fisher’s struggles worsened, rumors also circulated about Burton’s wife, Sybil, ending her own life.

During the filming of “Cleopatra,” Taylor faced two suicide attempts, one of which occurred in Burton’s presence. In another disturbing moment, Fisher stood over Taylor’s bed with a weapon but reassured her he would do no harm because he was captivated by her beauty.

In 1964, Taylor ultimately divorced Fisher and, shortly after, married Burton in Montreal. However, what began as a promising union soon spiraled into a tumultuous and all-consuming affair.

Burton’s excessive drinking, alleged womanizing, and jealousy over his wife’s star power tainted their marriage, leading to intense arguments. Additionally, Taylor’s weight fluctuations further fueled the couple’s drama.

Despite their volatile relationship, Taylor found solace in their passionate, intimate moments, viewing Burton’s voice as an escape from their troubles.

Likewise, Burton openly professed his deep love for her, praising her as a brilliant actress he vowed to love until his last breath.

The couple earned quite a notorious reputation for their dramatic arguments, which unfolded privately and in the public eye. Some people were even willing to pay to witness Taylor and Burton’s fights.

Taylor also remarked that Burton’s temper outbursts were “beautiful to watch.”

The book “Furious Love” mentioned that Taylor once learned about a couple staying at the same hotel as she and Burton. This couple took the suite below theirs to secretly listen to their intense arguments.

Taylor claimed they received an “earful” from her and Burton, unaware their actions were merely a vocal exercise rather than a real fight.

Taylor and Burton engaged in destructive behavior throughout their union, such as smashing TVs and ravaging hotel rooms, mostly due to the influence of alcohol and jealousy. According to the couple, their fights were intense yet oddly captivating. Taylor said:

“Our fights are delightful screaming matches, and Richard is rather like a small atom bomb going off.”

Taylor also remarked that Burton’s temper outbursts were “beautiful to watch.” Burton said their heated arguments were a form of public entertainment, which included hurling insults at each other, causing fear in people.

The couple’s relationship faced several difficulties due to Burton’s severe alcoholism, Taylor’s pill addiction, and his affair with actress Nathalie Delon.

Their intense and chaotic lifestyle eventually led to their first divorce in 1974. Despite the split, Burton sent quite a lengthy letter to Taylor afterward. His letter read:

“You’re off, by God! I can barely believe it since I am so unaccustomed to anybody leaving me. But reflectively I wonder why nobody did so before. All I care about–honest to God — is that you are happy and I don’t much care who you’ll find happiness with. I mean as long as he’s a friendly bloke and treats you nice and kind. If he doesn’t I’ll come at him with a hammer and clinker. God’s eye may be on the sparrow but my eye will always be on you. Never forget your strange virtues. Never forget that underneath that veneer of raucous language is a remarkable and puritanical LADY … Try and look after yourself. Much love.”

However, Taylor and Burton remarried in 1975, only to go through another divorce within a year as Burton left her after meeting a young model.

Taylor was heartbroken and hid in a hotel, where she drowned her pain through alcohol and food, which resulted in her gaining 50 pounds.

Burton recognized the destructive nature of their time together. He admitted that he was “not easy to be married to or to live with,” and this caused them to have explosive arguments with each other.

Despite both of them moving on and marrying other people, Burton and Taylor still maintained a connection. They spoke on the phone often and even reunited to celebrate Taylor’s 50th birthday in 1982.

The former pair also starred in the show “Private Lives” as an ex-married couple who rediscover each other. After that, they briefly reignited their romance, but it eventually ended with an argument in which Burton criticized Taylor’s acting techniques.

Burton emphasized that although they had no intention of remarrying, they would always feel deeply connected to each other, even if they married someone else.

On August 4, 1984, Burton sadly died in Switzerland due to a cerebral hemorrhage. This happened after a fight broke out during a night of drinking with his friends.

However, he left behind a final letter for Taylor. She kept this particular letter confidential among the 40 letters he had written to her.

Richard Burton‘s final letter was never known. However, the book “Furious Love” claimed that Taylor received Burton’s final letter —a love letter—at her Bel Air residence.

After attending Burton’s funeral in London, Taylor returned home and unexpectedly came across the late actor’s letter, postmarked a day before his death.

Burton wrote the letter on August 2, 1984, in his study at his home in Céligny, Switzerland. In this heartfelt message, Burton expressed his deepest desires.

He declared that wherever Taylor was, that place was his true home. The contents of Taylor’s final letter from the late actor remained undisclosed as she declined to make them public.

According to reports, she kept the letter safely by her bedside for 27 years until her passing in March 2011. Elizabeth Taylor kept the last love letter from her ex-spouse till the end, and she begged to be buried with it.

Taylor died at the age of 79 due to congestive heart failure. She was laid to rest that year at Forest Lawn Memorial Parks & Mortuaries, alongside Burton’s letter.