Liz Taylor Undergoes Heart Surgery

Gay icon and HIV/AIDS awareness advocate Liz Taylor was hospitalized on Tuesday for surgery to repair a leaky heart valve.

Taylor, 77, made the announcement via her Twitter account, according to celebrity news source Extra.

"Liz writes, 'Dear Friends, I would like to let you know before it gets in the papers that I am going into the hospital to have a procedure on my heart," Extra reported. Taylor elaborated on the procedure, according to Extra, saying, "It's very new and involves repairing my leaky valve using a clip device, without open-heart surgery, so that my heart will function better."

Taylor also asked for the prayers of fans.

The Academy Award-winning star of BUtterfield 8 and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf was reported to be devastated at the loss of her close friend Michael Jackson, who died in June.