The losses of our nation’s great comedians continued today with the death of Joan Rivers. Joan was a trail blazer for female comedians since she first appeared, nearly fifty years ago on The Ed Sullivan Show. Joan’s no holds barred approach to comedy made her a very controversial figure, especially early on in her career. Later in her career, her red carpet hosting was the reason to tune in to awards shows.
Like many comedians, Joan’s life included a lot of dark periods. Her beloved husband Edgar’s suicide around the time her Fox late night talk show was cancelled was difficult. Joan admitted to contemplating suicide during that time, and her interviews often including her offering support to depressed people going through a dark time encouraging them to push through because things change and life does get better.
Joan’s only daughter Melissa shared the following press release today:
“It is with great sadness that I announce the death of my mother, Joan Rivers. 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.”
“We 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.”
Joan Rivers will leave a void that cannot be filled. She will be missed.
Classy, Tamara.
Thank you for that.
Yes, she will be missed.
So sad to lose another great one. Beautiful job on your blog.
When I was a kid my family used to love it when Johnny Carson went on vacation so that we could watch Joan on the Tonight Show & laugh at her acerbic snark & wit.
I am shocked at how fast she went from life to death after an endoscopic procedure. She was on Fashion Police just 2 weeks ago, so full of life & laughs.
I’m lovingly giving the middle finger to Joan for dying while saying “Joan I’m gonna miss you and all your different faces.” #LOL #RIPJoanRivers
she was a trailblazer for every comedienne today. She survived in a man’s world in the 60’s and 70’s and beyond. What a loss of both Robin and Joan. Pioneers in their genre. Forever remembered.
Very sad. She certainly was able to live to the fullest right up to the end. My grandson is a good friend of her grandson, Cooper. In the summer of 2011 he vacationed with Joan, Melissa and Cooper. Joan liked to tie the vacations in with something Cooper learned in school the previous year. They had a great time in New York, then toured the 13 colonies and also had a special night at Fenway Park. She was a super grandma and a lovely sweet lady full of love and boundless energy. RIP
I could just tell she loved her daugther and grandson so much. I cant imagine how hard it must be for them to lose her so suddienly.
I thought she was so bright and so funny, also an amazing survivor and victor in a tough business. I admired her for that and for the obvious love for her family.
She was a friend and supporter of the gay community before it became the popular thing to be. I was a fan and will miss having her on my TV but god love her, she went out on top…
I know some found Joan’s humor abrasive but I loved her quick wit and I will miss her.
Wow, just wow. This news makes me feel sad. RIP Joan Rivers.
Joan made a joke a few weeks ago that she had heard that two of the contestants on Big Brother had lost a grandparent and she was worried because her grandson, Cooper, was filling out an application for the show. She was brave and fearless. I’m very sad. I will miss her.
RIP Joan Rivers. You will be missed.
I share those memories with you Urethra!
My father had such a crush on her and my mother was scandalized because he was anything but snarky or sarcastic. He just appreciated her wit.
She will be missed!
At least she will look the same, plastic doesn’t decompose. I am trying. I truly loved her and Chelsea Handler bow down. I handle grief and pain often with inappropriate responses. She blew me away you ,she was like South Park. If anything happens to Dolly Parton, I may never recover. Robin Williams, Lauren Bacall, Joan Rivers. Truly they are legends. I mean no disrespect to Philip Seymour Hoffman but the difference is huge. I loved James Garner but he was not iconic. So very sad and I hope she and Johnny are hugging it out.
RIP Joan. At least her family got to say goodbye.
Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy. You just never know when the good Lord calls you will be there. One minute laughing the next few days and she’s gone. I was so hoping she would make it. We will miss her greatly. She was in deed a trail blazer. She went up against Johnny Carson and came out on top. What a gal. Rest in peace with the angles dear Joan.
Rest in peace, you wonderful woman. Prayers for Cooper and Melissa.
I hate the way she passed. Going into surgery alone with her family across the country funny and lucid as ever, never really waking up again.
I really liked and followed Joan through the years, and she always used to brag about the doctors she knows because the joke was she paid so many of their tuition. I don’t think she was prepared to die when she went to that private clinic for a routine operation.. If only she had gone to a hospital to begin with..
Her last guest on “in bed with joan” was Leanne Rimes.. I was really hoping to see more interesting people have a chat with her before something like this happened.
In any case I will actually miss her even though I didn’t know her personally, and I hope the health department fucks up that clinic.
This brought tears to my eyes. Not just a great comedian but a great person as well. She had her priorities right. Sad day.
I didn’t care too much for her recent bits. Too acerbic but I never thought it was mean spirited even when she was responding to others rants. She was a real comic so even when she was bad she was good. Sad for her daughter and grandson who she obviously loved and they were a close family.
A sad day indeed :(.
Joan left us on top and wanting more, though I feel as though my friend died. (I so liked her.) I imagine after she passed, and went before God, that she said to Him, “Can we talk?”
I don’t think I am going to be in the majority here….. BUT, I always liked Joan through the years. She knew her comedy! I was on her side through the Carson feud and could understand her being angry at him for not reaching out after Edgar’s death, what a tragedy for her. She was always funny….no female comic is/was/will ever be like Joan ! What I had a problem with was when she was on Celebrity Apprentice. In her attempt to win the competition, she lambasted Annie Duke and really said some truly ugly awful things about her, she was so below the belt. I just could not get behind her or anything she represented after that.
So, I hope she found peace wherever she is….
Joan may have had good reason. Annie Duke has a bad reputation in the poker world.
“Wherever she is”, based on what I saw, Rivers was was fire spitting pissed off about and lambasted Duke about her demeanor, playing style, Vegas values, etc. Many held the same view about Duke, her peers and
… ‘unwholesome’ associations about who she knew plenty as a result of her playing Vegas in days when they ran the town, we’re less than king and even threatening of ‘talents’ like her, Rickles, Lewis, etc who performed there
But whether we agree or disagree with Joan, like or dislike her act, or politics, please lets remember that she also is a mother who just passed. Family or friends may eventually write what is written herein.
Most people will speak well about a decedent’s finer points or say nothing just to be kind, empathetic to her grieving survivors who hurt like anyone else..
TT, poignant tribute. Beautifully stated. You did a great lady great justice. You really have a way with words.
Yeah…I really appreciated her joy for universally offending everyone. If you get to watch a documentary she did a few years back, please watch it. I gained so much respect for her hustle after seeing it.
She had an amazing life and so much energy until the end. She worked her ass off. She never seemed like an invalid. I can only hope to aspire to live like she did until the very end. I feel for Melissa because I think they were probably best friends. They were deeply ensconced in each other’s lives.
Back in 80-81, in Las Vegas, I saw her live show when she was touring with David Brenner. (God rest their souls). She was funny then & funny now. As a woman I always felt so proud of her for blazing a trail & making it in the male dominated world of stand-up comedy. You were something else Joan Rivers…..RIP
She made it okay for women to be brazen, bawdy, ballsy and Botoxed.
For that I will always be thankful.
I was so sad to hear the news. She was a genius, just like Robin. Can you imagine the jokes she telling Robin now and Edgar’s going to get it! I really love Joan Rivers and can’t believe she is gone so unexpectedly.
Sad to hear about Joan. I was hoping she would pull through. I loved her sense of humor.
I read today that she married her husband after knowing him for 4 days! I love that. She will be missed. TBH, my mothers death almost a year ago (feels like yesterday) has left me a little raw. It seems like there’s a whole lot of death lately and I find it…..so fucking depressing.
RIP Joan! I thought she would pulled through. I admire her work ethics. She did pave the way for female comedians who probably would not have a career today if it weren’t for her. She broke down boundaries in comedy and allowed women today to make a living of it and she deserves respect for that. My heart is breaking for Melissa and her grandson.
glad she had lots of opportunity to talk w melissa about her eventual passing, & she was so up front. wish more of us could have shared that forthrightness w our loved ones before they passed. melissa knew how loved & how lucky she was. they had some sadness but overall a great life.
respecting TT’s rule about links i’ll just say plenty of video & writing re joan’s attitude toward her eventual death are floating the net right now. it’s been a big part of her act these past few years. some are poignant, some roar-out-loud funny. rip, joan.
I was 29, had a 4 year old, husband had charged up the credit cards and left us, and the doctor told me I had about a year to live. Joan came on air and said that it’s okay to feel sorry for yourself. When she went through her husband’s suicide, she wrote down everything that was wrong on a piece of paper, said “poor me, poor me” for a few seconds, wadded up the paper, threw it away, and started the next phase of her life.
I got so tired of hearing the old standard responses like you’re a strong person and the lord doesn’t give you anything more than you can handle, and here was someone saying that it’s okay to say that life sucks right now. “Poor me, poor me” is a very liberating process. I’ve passed it on many times. I loved Joan Rivers the comedienne, but I truly appreciate her for sharing her life’s lessons.
Losing Joan Rivers is so very sad. I had always liked her because she wasn’t afraid to say what everyone else was thinking.
The way she handled Bristol Palin on Celebrity Wife Swap (when Joan found out how much her comedy routines had hurt Bristol’s feelings) was so heartwarming. Joan went out of her way to comfort her and explain that it was strictly business and she gets paid to make people laugh – and that Joan thought Bristol to be a lovely person.
I feel so bad for Melissa and Cooper.