Joan Rivers Dead at 81, Daughter Melissa Confirms

Joan Rivers has died at age 81, her daughter Melissa confirmed in a statement on Thursday.

Rivers, a pioneer for females in standup comedy, suffered sudden cardiac and respiratory arrest following surgery on her vocal chords at a clinic in New York City on August 28th. She was rushed to Mount Sinai hospital, at which point she was put into a medically-induced coma. Rivers was kept alive on life support over the course of the weak, and while she was eventually brought out of the coma, her condition never improved.

"My mother's greatest joy in life was to make people laugh," Melissa Rivers said in the statement. "Although that is difficult to do right now, I know her final wish would be that we return to laughing soon."

The New York State Health Department has launched an investigation into the clinic that performed the procedure on Rivers, as the clinic has come under both public and governmental scrutiny. This is just a bad situation, all-around.

Our thoughts are with Joan's family at this difficult time. She's a legend in the comedy world whose absence will be clearly felt, and whose off-color brand of comedy will be missed. May she rest in peace.

Via: NBC News

Credit: Dan Steinberg/AP