Her daughter Melissa said in a statement announcing her mother’s death, “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 laughing soon.”
It was during throat surgery at Yorkville Endoscopy in Manhattan on 28th August that Rivers reportedly stopped breathing and was immediately rushed to Mouth Sinai Hospital in New York City following a 911 call, where she was placed on life support in a medically induced coma.
Melissa Rivers said that her mother was moved to an intensive care unit in the days following the complications where she was being “kept comfortable” before she sadly passed away.
Announcing Joan River’s death, daughter Melissa released this 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 thanks 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.
Via Twitter @CNN
Perhaps Joan’s final wish is closer than we think, after all, as she once famously said “At my funeral, I want Meryl Streep crying in five different accents.”
Joan Rivers most memorable moments via CNN YouTube
Joan Rivers rose to comedic fame during the 1960’s where her risqué and self-deprecating humour won her many fans and ultimately rewarded her with a guest spot on Johnny Carson’s The Tonight Show, which Rivers has attributed many times as her ‘big break’ foray into the industry. The guest spot became a permanent fixture on The Tonight Show and inevitably Rivers was offered her own late-night talk show in 1986 by Fox.
From here, she moved to daytime hosting on her own The Joan Rivers Show, which kicked off in 1989, winning her a Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Talk Show Host. From Daytime talk show host to red carpet reporting, the author of 12 books and a raft of documentaries – including the most recent YouTube Series In Bed With Joan , reality TV, The View co-host and her popular E! show Fashion Police, Joan Rivers was a permanent fixture on our televisions.
Well-known for her openness about her many experiences with plastic surgery, she often used them as endearingly sarcastic material for her comic routines.
In Bed with Joan via YouTube
“I wish I had a twin, so I could know what I’d look like without plastic surgery.”
“The only way I can get a man to touch me at this age is plastic surgery.”
Here are some of our favourite Joan Rivers quotes:
“I don’t exercise. If God had wanted me to bend over, he would have put diamonds on the floor.”
“Never be afraid to laugh at yourself, after all, you could be missing out on the joke of the century.”
“I have become my own version of an optimist. If I can’t make it through one door, I’ll go through another door—or I’ll make a door. Something terrific will come no matter how dark the present.”
“My love life is like a piece of Swiss cheese: most of it’s missing, and what’s there stinks.”
“I don’t exercise. If God had wanted me to bend over, he would have put diamonds on the floor.”
“The fun of working on the road means stealing from hotels. I’ve been doing it for so long, I have a set of towels from the Ark.”
“I wish I had a twin, so I could know what I’d look like without plastic surgery.”
“I am definitely going to watch the Emmys this year! My makeup team is nominated for “Best Special Effects.””
“At my funeral, I want Meryl Streep crying in five different accents.”
“A study says owning a dog makes you 10 years younger. My first thought was to rescue two more, but I don’t want to go through menopause again.”
“Had a friend who is going through menopause come by for lunch today. Her hot flash was so bad, it steam-cleaned my carpet.”
“The book I wish I’d never written is Joan Rivers’s Pop-Up Guide to Gynecology.”
