American comedian, actress, writer, producer and TV host Joan Rivers has passed away today aged 81, her daughter Melissa has revealed. She had been on life support since August 28th, having suffered a cardiac arrest during throat surgery.
Born in Brooklyn in 1933, Rivers began her career as a stand-up comic in New York City in the early 1960s, which led to regular appearances and guest hosting duties on The Tonight Show as well as various variety and entertainment shows such as The Ed Sullivan Show, The Carol Burnett Show and Hollywood Squares.
In the 1980s, Rivers became the first female comedian to perform at Carnegie Hall, and also the first female to front her own talk show, signing a bumper contract to host The Late Show Starring Joan Rivers. She would subsequently win a Daytime Emmy for The Joan Rivers Show, which she hosted for five years, picking up another six nominations as host and writer.
In addition to her TV hosting work, Rivers earned a number of credits on the likes of Rabbit Test (which she wrote and directed), The Swimmer, Spaceballs, Look Who’s Talking, and Nip/Tuck, as well as racking up Grammy and Tony Award nominations.
Originally published September 4, 2014. Updated April 13, 2018.
