Hollywood's golden girl who battled through personal tragedy and her best friend Elizabeth Taylor's wicked betrayal: Oscar-nominated Debbie Reynolds dies after 65 scandal-laden years in the limelight 

• e-mail

Hollywood legend Debbie Reynolds, who sang and danced her way into the hearts of millions of moviegoers around the world in musicals like 'Singin' in the Rain,' died on Wednesday at age 84.

Reynolds was one of the most enduring and endearing Hollywood actresses, starring alongside Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Tony Curtis, Donald O'Connor, Fred Astaire and Dick Van Dyke.

Her big break was the film Singin' In The Rain she landed the role Kathy Selden at the tender age of just 19.

It was to be a springboard to a stellar career spanning seven decades and culminating last year in The Screen Actors Guild's Life Achievement Award. 

Scroll down for videos 

Hollywood legend Debbie Reynolds, who sang and danced her way into the hearts of millions of moviegoers around the world in musicals such as Singin' in the Rain, (above in 1952) died on Wednesday at age 84, her son said

Reynolds (above in Singin' in the Rain in 1952) died hours after being rushed to the hospital in Los Angeles after suffering a stroke, her son, Todd Fisher said

Reynolds was one of the most enduring and endearing Hollywood actresses. She is pictured above in 1983

Of her death, Todd Fisher said, 'She said, 'I want to be with Carrie.' And then she was gone.' Reynolds is pictured above on top of her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

Reynolds received a best actress Academy Award nomination for the 1964 musical 'The Unsinkable Molly Brown.'

After her transition from starlet to star, Reynolds became immensely popular with teenage girls and even more so when in 1955 she married Eddie Fisher, the pop singer whose fans were equally devoted.

The couple made a movie together, 'Bundle of Joy,' which seemed to mirror the 1956 birth of Carrie. The Fishers also had a son, Todd, named after Eddie's close friend and Elizabeth Taylor's husband, showman Mike Todd.

The foursome were close friends and regularly vacationed together. 

But at the peak of her stardom, Reynolds was drawn into a scandal when her husband began an affair with Taylor after her husband was killed in a plane crash. Reynolds and Fisher divorced in 1959 and he married Taylor.

It was Hollywood's greatest scandal to date. Taylor was assailed as a husband stealer, Fisher as a deserter of his family.

Heartbroken Reynolds who had been betrayed by her husband and her best friend won sympathy as the innocent victim, which was only emphasized when she appeared before news cameras with diaper pins on her blouse.

A cover headline in Photoplay magazine in late 1958 blared: 'Smiling through her tears, Debbie says: I'm still very much in love with Eddie.'

Fisher's singing career never recovered, but Taylor, who left him for Richard Burton in 1962, weathered the storm and remained a top star.

At the peak of her stardom, Reynolds was drawn into a scandal when her husband, singer Eddie Fisher, began an affair with actress Elizabeth Taylor. Reynolds and Fisher divorced in 1959 and he married Taylor. The trio are pictured above in 1958

Sadly, Reynolds death came just one day after her daughter, actress Carrie Fisher, died of a heart attack. They are pictured together above in 2011

Fisher died on Tuesday after suffering a heart attack while on a transatlantic flight from London to LA four days earlier. The mother and daughter are pictured together above in 1972 in New York City

Reynolds and Taylor made peace years later and appeared together in the 2001 television movie 'These Old Broads,' written by her daughter Fisher.

In the Star Wars actress's 2008 autobiography Wishful Drinking, Fisher described her parents' divorce.  

'He first dried her eyes with his handkerchief, then he consoled her with flowers, and he ultimately consoled her with his penis,' Fisher wrote of her father and Taylor. 'This made marriage to my mother awkward.' 

In a 2010 interview with Rage Monthly, Reynolds reflected on her philosophy of life.

'I always go by a five-year plan,' she said. 'I get through today and I'm not going to get upset for five years.

'I always picture a long tunnel and at the end of the tunnel, there's a light. I know I can make it to that light and I'll take five years to get there. Now I've gone through many tunnels. So, I just keep trying. I never give up.'

Mary Frances Reynolds was born on April 1, 1932. She was discovered by a talent scout when she took part in the Miss Burbank beauty contest aged 16.  

Warner Brothers changed her name to 'Debbie,' and she had a bit part that year in 'June Bride.'

She was signed by MGM in 1950 and that year, in 'Two Weeks with Love,' Reynolds performed the hit duet 'Aba Daba Honeymoon' with Carleton Carpenter. 

She also made her feature acting debut in 1950 in 'The Daughter of Rosie O'Grady.'

Reynolds, who rose to stardom in the film Singin' In the Rain, appeared in dozens of films, as she was the vivacious actress, dancer and pop star millions of fans loved. She is pictured above in 1955

Fisher and Reynolds got married in 1955, and became parents to Carrie and Todd. They are pictured above together while engaged in 1955 in New York

It was 1952's Singin' in the Rain, however, that catapulted Reynolds to stardom, playing opposite Gene Kelly and Donald O'Connor and recording the original soundtrack album for the film. 

But she had no dance experience when she landed the role and in a 1999 Associated Press interview she said: 'Gene Kelly was hard on me, but I think he had to be.' 

'I had to learn everything in three to six months. Donald O'Connor had been dancing since he was three months old, Gene Kelly since he was 2 years old. ... I think Gene knew I had to be challenged.' 

She more than held her own. 

Her fame grew with leading roles in 'Susan Slept Here' with Dick Powell, 'The Tender Trap' with Frank Sinatra, 'The Catered Affair' with Bette Davis, 'Bundle of Joy' with then-husband Fisher, 'The Mating Game' with Tony Randall, 'It Started with A Kiss' with Glenn Ford, and 'The Pleasure of His Company' with Astaire.

Reynolds' song 'Tammy' from her 1957 movie 'Tammy and the Bachelor' hit No. 1 on the singles charts.  

Fisher had an affair with Taylor after her husband, Mike Todd died. Reynolds divorced Fisher, who then went on to marry Taylor. Above left to right in 1957: Mike Todd, Elizabeth Taylor, Eddie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds

Of the affair, Carrie Fisher wrote: 'He first dried her eyes with his handkerchief, then he consoled her with flowers, and he ultimately consoled her with his penis. This made marriage to my mother awkward.' The former couple is pictured above holding Carrie in 1956

She performed in nightclubs, hosted TV specials, and in 1968 had her first TV series, the NBC sitcom 'The Debbie Reynolds Show.' 

In 1960 Reynolds married shoe magnate Harry Karl, but more than a decade later in 1973 she divorced him. 

The marriage ended in disaster when she discovered that Karl, a compulsive gambler, had devastated her assets and left her deeply in debt. 

After her divorce, Reynolds toured tirelessly with her song and dance show to pay off creditors. 

The 1970 film 'What's the Matter with Helen?' turned out to be the last big screen acting role she would have for some 20 years.

'I didn't stop making movies. They stopped making me,' Reynolds told The New York Times in 1996.

Reynolds performed on cruise ships and in nightclubs and took to the stage in New York and London. 

On September 11, 1958, Debbie Reynolds (above) stood outside the side entrance of her home to tell reporters she still loves her husband Eddie Fisher and is 'shocked by what has happened', in reference to him leaving her for Taylor

Her 1973 revival of the musical 'Irene' earned her a Tony Award nomination. The same year she gave voice to Charlotte in the animated feature 'Charlotte's Web.' 

In 1984 she married her third husband, real estate developer Richard Hamlett.

But the third marriage to the Virginia businessman proved equally disastrous. In 1992, against friends' advice, she paid $10 million to buy and convert the faded Paddlewheel Hotel in Las Vegas into the Debbie Reynolds Hotel and Casino. 

She performed nightly and conducted tours of her movie memorabilia, which she had collected since MGM auctioned its artifacts in 1970.

Reynolds, who ended up filing for bankruptcy in 1997 and selling the property at auction the next year, accused Hamlett of making off with her money. She once again went on the road.

'All of my husbands have robbed me blind,' she asserted in 1999. 'The only one who didn't take money was Eddie Fisher. He just didn't pay for the children.'  

Eventually Reynolds and Taylor repaired their friendship years later. Above Reynolds is pictured placing her handprints in the wet cement at Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood in 1965

Her second marriage, to shoe businessman Harry Karl, ended in the early 1970s after he gambled away most of her money. Financial reasons compelled her to keep working. They are pictured above in 1965

'There are good men, including my father and my son Todd, but I happened to marry idiots, which is why I gave up years ago. I have very bad taste in men,' Reynolds told the Yorkshire Post in a 2010 interview.

Reynolds' theatrical performances took her to the West Coast, then in 1981, she returned to Broadway to take over the lead in 'Woman of the Year'.

That year brought another TV show, the short-lived series 'Aloha Paradise.' By 1983, Reynolds had a recurring role in the TV series 'Jennifer Slept Here', starring Ann Jillian.

The next year she created and starred in an exercise video, 'Do It Debbie's Way,' and four years later produced the exercise video, 'Couples (Do It Debbie's Way).'

Reynolds starred in her first TV movie, 'Sadie and Son,' in 1987. The following year brought her written memoir, 'Debbie: My Life.' 

She then toured nationally with 'The Unsinkable Molly Brown.'

In 1984 she married her third husband, real estate developer Richard Hamlett, and they bought a Las Vegas hotel and casino, where she also performed. Pictured above: Actress Ruta Lee and husband Webster Lowe, Jr. and Reynolds and husband Richard Hamlett together in 1991

In 1992 she made a cameo appearance in the movie 'The Bodyguard' and the next year she had a supporting role in 'Heaven and Earth.'

The 1996 Albert Brooks comedy 'Mother,' brought Reynolds back to the big screen in a lead role.

The rest is history: 'Halloweentown' movies for Disney, a recurring role in the sitcom 'Will & Grace,' more TV movies and, in 2012, a role in the feature film 'One for the Money.' 

Reynolds and Carrie  were known to have had a bumpy relationship in the past, but in recent years, the talented mother and daughter actresses didn't always see eye-to-eye.

When the Star Wars actress was in her youth, she refrained from talking to her mother for 10 years.

They became closer, however, when she got older, according to People and eventually became neighbors. 

'It took like 30 years for Carrie to be really happy with me,' Reynolds told People in an interview before both their deaths.

'I don't know what the problem ever was. I've had to work at it. I've always been a good mother, but I've always been in show business, and I've been on stage and I don't bake cookies and I don't stay home.

'It's very hard when your child doesn't want to talk to you and you want to talk to them, and you want to touch them, you want to hold them,' said Reynolds.

'It was a total estrangement. She didn't talk to me for probably 10 years. So that was the most difficult time of all. Very painful, very heartbreaking,' Reynolds added. 

A documentary about their lives 'Bright Lights: Starring Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds' is due to premiere on HBO in March which explores their relationship.  

Reynolds died hours after being rushed to the hospital in Los Angeles after suffering a stroke, her son, Todd Fisher said. 

Her death came just one day after her daughter, the actress Carrie Fisher, died of a heart attack she suffered four days earlier while on a transatlantic flight from London to LA.

Reynolds appeared in dozens of films and was a vivacious actress, dancer and pop star loved by millions. 

As well as her son Todd, she is survived by her granddaughter Billie Lourd. 

'A FINAL CURTAIN MADE OF TEARS': HOLLYWOOD REACTS WITH HEARTACHE TO DEATHS OF LEGENDS CARRIE FISHER AND DEBBIE REYNOLDS 

Fans were still grappling with news of Carrie Fisher's death on Wednesday when it emerged that her mother had too died.

They took to social media in their droves to pay tribute to the pair, immortalizing them as Hollywood legends who had each brought joy to millions around the world with their respective careers.

Today's stars were among those to pay tribute to the pair. A horde of actors, singers and Hollywood heavyweights thanked the mother and daughter for inspiring their own career choices and dazzling the world with for decades with their individual talents. 

Below is a collection of some of their messages shared on Wednesday evening.  

Celebrities took to social media in their droves to share their sadness after news of Reynolds' death emerged on Wednesday