She was the last of the Hollywood greats, a fashion icon and a silver screen siren who outshone both her co-stars and rivals.

The sadness which greeted the news that Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor died on Wednesday at the age of 79 has been met with a wealth of tributes, not least for her stunning beauty, trend-setting fashion sense and her outstanding acting talent.

For us, as little girls, she was the sort of woman we dreamt of one day being - beautiful, talented, smart, funny and desired.

When she retired from acting she turned her energy towards raising money for AIDS research.

Battling ill-health in her later years, she never escaped the spotlight, never ceased to stop being fascinating.

Judging from the tributes on Facebook and Twitter, it seems we weren't the only little girls who 'wanted to be Elizabeth Taylor' when we grew up - it's fair to say, from the first time we saw National Velvet, she was our first girl crush.

With seven husbands, eight marriages, her love for the finest diamonds, her staggering talent, two Oscars and, of course, the magnificent love affair with Richard Burton, she held the world in thrall.

It was Burton who wrote: "She was unquestionably gorgeous. I can think of no other word to describe a combination of plentitude, frugality, abundance, tightness. She was lavish. She was a dark unyielding largesse. She was, in short, too bloody much."

Women all over the world copied her look, from her luscious lashes and heavy eye-liner to her love of couture wear.

We could only dream of copying her love of diamonds - she owned both a 33.19-carat Krupp diamond and a Cartier, amongst her collection.

Often called the most beautiful woman in the world, the world of celebrity has lost some of its lustre with the light having finally gone from those dazzling violet eyes.