Earlier this afternoon, comedy legend Joan Rivers – who found a new audience as a popular celebrity fashion critic – passed away earlier this afternoon. She was 81.
“It is with great sadness that I announce the death of my mother, Joan Rivers,” Melissa Rivers said in a written statement today. “She passed peacefully at 1:17 p.m. 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.”
As co-host of the popular E! TV show “Fashion Police,” Joan attracted the attention of a new generation of fans. Her career as a popular comic, late night talk show guest and television personality in her own right spanned more five decades.
She gained her first national audience began her acting career in a play opposite Barbra Streisand before appearing on “Candid Camera.” In 1965, the future talk show host made her first appearance on “The Ed Sullivan Show.” and Johnny Carson’s “Tonight Show.”
On Aug. 28, however, she was in New York City having surgery when she suffered cardiac arrest. She was rushed to the hospital, where she arrived unconscious and doctors kept her sedated. On Sept. 2, her daughter, Melissa Rivers, revealed that she had been placed on life support.
“My mother has been moved out of intensive care and into a private room where she is being kept comfortable,” Melissa said in a statement the next day. “Thank you for your continued support.”
In addition to her television career, Rivers was a coveted star of television commercials and the author of 12 books.
