A statement released by Dick Guttman, her Los Angeles-based publicist, did not say where Taylor was staying, nor did it specify what was ailing the 76-year-old actress.

"Ms. Taylor is fine," the statement read. "The rumors which began in England about her health are dramatic, overstated and untrue. Her hospital visit was precautionary. She will be returning home shortly. At present, she is surrounded by family, friends and fabulous jewels."

A report on the website for the National Enquirer said Taylor was put on a life-support machine after suffering congestive heart failure. The report cited "a friend" and was picked up by Britain's Daily Mail, among others.

Taylor has suffered from a number of health issues during the years, including congestive heart failure in 2004, spinal fractures and the effects of scoliosis, which have left her nearly bedridden. She's also battled ulcers, amoebic dysentery, bursitis, acute bronchitis, two serious bouts of pneumonia, drug and alcohol addiction and a benign brain tumor that was removed in 1997.

Taylor began her Hollywood career as a teenager in films such as "Lassie Come Home" and "National Velvet." She won Oscars for best actress in 1966's "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" and 1960's "Butterfield 8."

She also won a special Oscar, the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, mainly for her work as an AIDS activist, in 1993. She still lives in Bel-Air, a posh section of Los Angeles that's home to many of Hollywood's elite figures.

The actress has remained a tireless AIDS activist, making rare public appearances to support the cause. She appeared wheelchair bound and swathed in jewels at the dedication of the UCLA Clinical AIDS Research and Education Center in November 2005. Her performance of "Love Letters" in December generated more than 1 million U.S. dollars for AIDS research.