A week after losing consciousness during a minor operation on her throat, comic Joan Rivers has passed away. She was 81.
Known for her caustic wit, Joan was one of the first female comics to break through to the mainstream, paving the way for equally-irreverent women such as Roseanne Barr and Sarah Silverman. She made no apologies for offending people, joking about everything from 9/11 to Auschwitz and her response to those who didn’t appreciate her humour was ‘Oh, grow up!’ The first person she made fun of was always herself.
She began her comedy career in the 1950s, performing live at clubs but it was in 1965 when she got her big break, appearing on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, which she continued to do for over 20 years. She became his replacement when he was on annual breaks from the show, and during her time in his seat, the ratings exceeded his.
The pair fell out when she accepted a $10 million offer from Fox to host her own late night talk show that directly competed with Carson’s timeslot. The Late Show Starring Joan Rivers was axed within a year after her ratings failed to live up to the network’s expectations.
1987 was a tough year for Joan. Her husband and manager Edgar Rosenberg became depressed after suffering a heart attack, and he took his own life. ‘After Edgar killed himself, I went out to dinner with Melissa. I looked at the menu and said, ‘If Daddy were here to see these prices, he’d kill himself all over again,’ she joked.
She hosted red carpet coverage for over 20 years, first at E!, then the TV Guide channel. She had her own daytime TV show The Joan Rivers Show, wrote 12 books, was nominated for a Tony for her role on Broadway as Sally in Sally Marr ... and Her Escorts. She also had a whole range of accessories and clothing that she sold on TV shopping networks.
Joan most recently returned to E! as the star of Fashion Police, alongside Kelly Osbourne and Giuliana Rancic. Her connection to fashion actually happened prior to comedy, when she worked in the PR department of US chain store Lord & Taylor and as a fashion coordinator at Bond clothing stores.
She frequently joked about her death, and would joke that she could die right there on stage mid-performance. In true Joan form, she outlined her funeral plans in her 2012 book I Hate Everyone….Starting With Me: ‘When I die (and yes, Melissa, that day will come; and yes, Melissa, everything's in your name. I want my funeral to be a huge showbiz affair with lights, cameras, action. I want Craft services, I want paparazzi and I want publicists making a scene!" she insisted. "I want it to be Hollywood all the way. I don't want some rabbi rambling on; I want Meryl Streep crying, in five different accents. I don't want a eulogy; I want Bobby Vinton to pick up my head and sing Mr. Lonely. I want to look gorgeous, better dead than I do alive. I want to be buried in a Valentino gown and I want Harry Winston to make me a toe tag. And I want a wind machine so that even in the casket my hair is blowing just like Beyonce's.’
Born Joan Alexandra Molinsky in Brooklyn in 1933, she had one daughter, Melissa, and a grandson Cooper. An investigation into the clinic where she lost consciousness is underway.
Picture: Getty
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.