Elizabeth Taylor’s Friend Reveals Which of the Legendary Star’s 7 Husbands Was Best in Bed (Exclusive)

What do you expect me to do, sleep alone?” That comment, made by Elizabeth Taylor at the height of her affair with Eddie Fisher — he was married to Debbie Reynolds and she was newly widowed — took on a life all its own. 

So much so that 14 years after Taylor’s death in 2011 at age 79, Hollywood’s last great supernova is now being called “the first reality star” in the docuseries Elizabeth Taylor: Rebel Superstar, now streaming on Fox Nation, executive-produced by Kim Kardashian.

Taylor Swift also pays homage to the star’s bold romantic spirit in her new song “Elizabeth Taylor” from The Life of a Showgirl, which name-checks her violet eyes, favorite romantic haunts such as Portofino, and her signature scent, White Diamonds.

Taylor’s friend, fashion designer Vicky Tiel tells PEOPLE it’s not a surprise that people are still talking about her. “She was the most famous woman on planet Earth,” says Tiel.  

The two women met in Paris in 1964. Taylor, then with her fourth husband Richard Burton, wanted to ditch her formal ’50s style of long skirts and tasteful sheaths. 

“She threw away the old clothes, the Dior look and the fitted suits,” says Tiel. “It was so ‘old lady.’ We were now in the ’60s, the sexual revolution. Elizabeth loved that. From then on she always wore my mini dresses.”

Tiel traveled with her in the late ’60s and early ’70s, spending many months with her and her entourage in the finest hotels all over Europe on various film shoots. 

“We talked about sex all the time,” she says with a laugh. The star’s favorite partner in bed, she reveals, “was Richard. Absolutely. No question about it. Her lover for life was Richard.”

“She was very fun,” notes Tiel. “She took sex very lightly. She taught me a lot too; if something bad happens, you just roll your eyes, smile and don’t worry about it. She would just always laugh and be happy. She was a very, very happy person.”

As for Burton, whom Taylor married and divorced twice, she carried him with her until the end, says Tiel. (He died in 1984 at age 58 of a massive brain hemorrhage.)

“Before Richard died, I think two days before, he called me up,” Tiel remembers. “He said, ‘I don’t think I’m going to live very long, and I just wanted you and Ron [Tiel’s then husband, makeup artist Ron Berkeley] to tell Elizabeth I’ll always love her the most. I love her forever and ever. And I miss her and I love her with all my heart.’ “