Joan Rivers, the groundbreaking comedian who was popular among the audience for her sour wit, passed away at the ripe old age of 81 in a hospital in New York on Thursday after suffering from a cardiac arrest a week ago during a procedure in the outpatient department on her vocal cords. Her only child Melissa Rivers told the media that her mother died peacefully right by her friends and family. She said her mother received great joy in making people laugh.
She was born Joan Alexandra Molinsky in Brooklyn to a doctor and housewife in 1933. She adopted the last name Rivers since the time she began her career in the show business. She has donned many hats in her long career that includes stand up comedy, television and writing. However, she always wanted to become an actress. She hosted numerous TV shows including The Tonight Show and The Joan Rivers Show. She went into depression after her husband who was also her manager committed suicide, but she overcame the difficult phase and starred in a reality TV show with her daughter.
Joan Rivers’ death comes as a huge blow to Hollywood as she is the second leading American comedian to die after the tragic death of Robin Williams last month. As the news of her demise spread, television crews, reporters and photographers rushed to the hospital where she died to cover the story. Many fans also started pouring in to pay their last respect to the departed soul. Some fans even placed flowers at the doorstep of her apartment in Manhattan.
The spokeswoman of the Medical Examiner said that an investigation will be conducted to find out the manner and cause of Rivers’ death. The actress described herself as plastic surgery poster girl thanks to her fixation for undergoing numerous cosmetic enhancements. Joan Rivers was quite proud of her Jewish roots and was a vocal supporter of Israel. President of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu expressed his commiserations to her family.
Joan Rivers is someone who will be sorely missed by the film fraternity.