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| Joan Rivers, pioneering entertainer and comedian, dies aged 81 | Joan Rivers, pioneering entertainer and comedian, dies aged 81 |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| The comedian Joan Rivers, whose mastery of the acid one-liner never wavered during a career that spanned five decades and many more surgical procedures, died on Thursday aged 81, her daughter announced. | |
| “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,” Melissa Rivers said in a statement from New York. | |
| Rivers suffered a cardiac arrest during throat surgery on her vocal cords at a clinic in New York on 28 August. She was rushed to Mount Sinai hospital in the city, and was moved from its intensive care unit into a private room on Wednesday. She never recovered consciousness. | Rivers suffered a cardiac arrest during throat surgery on her vocal cords at a clinic in New York on 28 August. She was rushed to Mount Sinai hospital in the city, and was moved from its intensive care unit into a private room on Wednesday. She never recovered consciousness. |
| In almost 50 years since she burst onto the scene on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, Rivers ascended to the pinnacle of American showbusiness - even as she skewered its excesses with her scathing wit. | |
| A workaholic, Rivers had been hosting an online weekly talk show called In Bed with Joan and had just filmed her special award show episode of Fashion Police before being taken ill. She was regularly performing live stand-up performances and had finished the fourth season of the reality show in which she starred with her daughter: Joan & Melissa: Joan Knows Best. | |
| “If there is a secret to being a comedian, it’s just loving what you do,” Rivers said in 2012. “It is my drug of choice. I don’t need real drugs. I don’t need liquor. It’s the joy that I get performing. That is my rush. I get it nowhere else.” | “If there is a secret to being a comedian, it’s just loving what you do,” Rivers said in 2012. “It is my drug of choice. I don’t need real drugs. I don’t need liquor. It’s the joy that I get performing. That is my rush. I get it nowhere else.” |
| Rivers never made a secret of the surgery that significantly altered her looks over the years. Instead, it became a source of material for her act. “I’ve had so much plastic surgery, when I die they will donate my body to Tupperware,” she once said. | |
| Melissa Rivers travelled to New York from Los Angeles with her son Cooper after her mother fell ill. “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,” Melissa Rivers said in a statement. | Melissa Rivers travelled to New York from Los Angeles with her son Cooper after her mother fell ill. “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,” Melissa Rivers said in a statement. |
| “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.” | “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.” |
| The E! network, where Rivers worked for more than 20 years, released a statement through its parent company NBCUniversal, saying “the world is less funny without her in it.” “For decades Joan has made people laugh shattered glass ceiling and revolutionised comedy. She was unapologetic and fiercely dedicated to entertaining all of us and has left an indelible mark on the people that worked with her and on her legions of fans.” | |
| The Brooklyn-born comedian worked the New York comedy scene alongside Richard Pryor, Bill Cosby, George Carlin and Woody Allen. Her big break came with an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson in 1965 and she has been a TV mainstay ever since. | The Brooklyn-born comedian worked the New York comedy scene alongside Richard Pryor, Bill Cosby, George Carlin and Woody Allen. Her big break came with an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson in 1965 and she has been a TV mainstay ever since. |
| She recently moved to California to be closer to her family, a move that like many other parts of Rivers’ life, was chronicled on Joan & Melissa. | She recently moved to California to be closer to her family, a move that like many other parts of Rivers’ life, was chronicled on Joan & Melissa. |
| Her brusque brand of humor frequently targeted celebrities, as well as herself. This no-holds-barred attitude would also push the line with comments that some people deemed insensitive. | |
| Celebrities shared their condolences on Twitter shortly after Rivers’ death was announced. Fellow comedian Kathy Griffin said: “A legend, a friend, a mentor, an icon, and wildly funny. One of a kind. RIP” | Celebrities shared their condolences on Twitter shortly after Rivers’ death was announced. Fellow comedian Kathy Griffin said: “A legend, a friend, a mentor, an icon, and wildly funny. One of a kind. RIP” |
| “My friend Joan Rivers has passed away once again to quote Billy Crystal... There are no words. Bon Voyage Joan,” said Whoopi Goldberg. | “My friend Joan Rivers has passed away once again to quote Billy Crystal... There are no words. Bon Voyage Joan,” said Whoopi Goldberg. |