EXCLUSIVE: When Elizabeth Taylor needed a superstar to headline one of her earliest benefits to raise money for HIV/AIDS in 1986, long before it was a cause that all in Hollywood were ready to support, she turned to her dear friend Barry Manilow. Without pause, Barry jumped at the chance, and today with news of her passing, the legendary singer is heartbroken.
"She was the last great movie star and one of my closest friends," Barry tells me. "This is a sad day for me."
Not many people got to be so close to greatness like Barry did, but what he remembers most is her warmness and huge laugh that filled rooms.
"What I'll always remember about Elizabeth was her laugh," he says. "She would walk in looking like a princess, and out of her mouth would come this cackling laugh that would crack all of us up."
Dame Elizabeth called Barry her hero for jumping in when she needed him most -- remember in 1986, most celebrities were hesitant to get involved in the fight against HIV/AIDS -- and never forgot that her dear friend was always a phone call away.
He went on to perform alongside other huge stars in Liz's 1992 telethon, 'In a New Light: A Call to Action in the War Against AIDS,' and he was the master of ceremonies at her 60th birthday party at Disneyland.
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