LOS ANGELES, Oct. 6 (Xinhua) -- Septuagenarian Hollywood actress Elizabeth Taylor announced Tuesday she would check into a hospital to undergo a procedure to repair a leaking heart valve, but she gave no specific time.

    Taylor, 77, made the announcement on her Twitter post "before it gets in the papers."

    "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.

    "Any prayers you happen to have lying around I would dearly appreciate. I'll let you know when it's all over. Love you, Elizabeth," she said.

    However, Taylor did not say when or where she would receive the procedure.

Actress Elizabeth Taylor arrives for her 75th birthday party at the Ritz-Carlton in Lake Las Vegas in Henderson, Nevada in this February 27, 2007 file photo.

Taylor, who is wheelchair-bound, rarely appears in public, but she managed to attend the funeral of pop icon Michael Jackson at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale early last month and also showed up briefly at the Macy's Passport AIDS/HIV research fundraiser in Santa Monica, California.

    She has been reported to be in failing health in recent years, with heart and spinal problems. The actress, who has diabetes, had a benign brain tumor removed in 1997.