The legendary comedienne Joan Rivers has passed away at the age of 81 at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City, a week after she suffered cardiac arrest during a routine throat operation.
Rivers’ daughter, Melissa Rivers, said in a statement: “It is with great sadness that I announce the death of my mother, Joan Rivers. She passed peacefully at 1:17pm surrounded by family and close friends. My son and I would like to thank the doctors, nurses, and staff of Mount Sinai Hospital for the amazing care they provided for my mother. Cooper and I have found ourselves humbled by the outpouring of love, support, and prayers we have received from around the world. They have been heard and appreciated. My mother’s greatest joy in life was to make people laugh. Although that is difficult to do right now, I know her final wish would be that we return to laughing soon.”
Rivers was put on life-support Sunday with her daughter, family and friends all by her side.
She reportedly stopped breathing while undergoing a throat operation for her vocal chords on August 28th. A 911 call was placed moments after describing a person who was either in cardiac or respiratory arrest, according to TMZ.
Later that day, reports noted that Rivers was in stable condition and placed into a medically induced coma at Mount Sinai. However, her condition quickly become critical and she remained unconscious since her Thursday operation.
Last Wednesday night, she performed at New York’s Beechman Theater, at which she joked about death, according to an attendee interviewed by CNN.
“She said, ‘You know I’m 81 years old, and I could drop dead at any moment — and you would be so lucky because you will have a story to tell your friends for the rest of your life,’” the attendee told CNN.
In the past, the comic has always been open about her health issues. In 2002, she was diagnosed with osteoporosis after falling down stairs and breaking some bones. She later became an advocate for screenings for women.
Rivers was an actress, comedian, writer, producer, and television host. Her big break came in 1965 when she guest hosted on The Tonight Show with the well-known Johnny Carson. She became an instant hit, and in the 1990s, she hosted a number of daytime talk shows, appeared on Broadway, hawked her own jewelry line on QVC, and much more.
Rivers is best known for co-hosting the E! Entertainment’s Fashion Police, with her infamous comic style of poking fun at celebrities. In addition, she presides over an online talk show, In Bed With Joan, and co-stars with her daughter on the WEtv reality show Joan & Melissa: Joan Knows Best?
Since Thursday, Rivers has been in the thoughts of many of her Fashion Police co-hosts and various other celebrities. She is survived by her daughter Melissa Rivers, and her grandson Cooper Endicott.
Here’s a clip of the legendary Joan Rivers on Johnny Carson’s Tonight Show.
