Joan Rivers

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How 10 Minutes in 1965 Changed Joan Rivers' Life

New biography chronicles how spot on 'Tonight Show' made her a star

(Newser) - Joan Rivers was a struggling 31-year-old comic back in 1965 when she finally got the break she'd unsuccessfully sought for a decade: a spot on the Tonight Show. As an article adapted in Vanity Fair from a new biography recounts, Rivers killed that night. Her standup set charmed the...

Melissa Rivers Settles Suit Over Joan's Death

Terms of settlement not disclosed

(Newser) - The family of comedian Joan Rivers, who died days after undergoing a routine endoscopy at a New York City clinic, has settled a medical malpractice lawsuit against the facility, the family's attorneys said Thursday. The 81-year-old comedian died Sept. 4, 2014, days after she went in for a routine...

Among Clinic's Errors: Not Weighing Joan Rivers

The comedian was not weighed prior to being given propofol sedative

(Newser) - When TV personality and comedian Joan Rivers went to an outpatient clinic on Manhattan's Upper East Side in late August, she was supposed to be in and out for a throat procedure. Instead she went into cardiac arrest and died a week later, and the Centers for Medicare &...

Why Joan Rivers Will Get No Autopsy

Her grief-stricken daughter Melissa won't order one

(Newser) - Did Joan Rivers die from lack of oxygen to the brain? We may never know. New York City's chief medical examiner pinned it on oxygen deprivation, but Joan's grief-stricken daughter Melissa wants no autopsy performed—and New York law is OK with that as long as there's...

Joan Rivers Instagrams From the Grave

Post briefly appears on her Facebook page

(Newser) - Whoops: This morning, Joan Rivers appeared to hawk the iPhone 6 from beyond the grave. An Instagram photo of an older-model iPhone appeared, ever so briefly, on Rivers' Facebook page, along with the caption, "This badass is being replaced by an iPhone 6 (not the fat one). I got...

Joan Rivers' Doc Not Authorized to Work at Clinic

According to TMZ, which identifies the doctor

(Newser) - Citing multiple sources, TMZ has identified Joan Rivers' personal doctor—the one accused of doing an unplanned biopsy and taking a selfie during Rivers' procedure—as Dr. Gwen Korovin, who boasts other celebrity patients, including Celine Dion and Lady Gaga. According to the gossip site, Korovin was the one working...

Source: Joan Rivers' Doc Took Selfie During Surgery

Biopsy led to cardiac arrest, source says

(Newser) - Joan Rivers' personal doctor not only performed an unplanned biopsy during a routine procedure—the ear, nose, and throat specialist snapped a "selfie" with the star while she was unconscious, a source close to the investigation tells CNN . The cardiac arrest that led to her death happened during the...

Head of Clinic in Joan Rivers' Case Out of Job

Reports say he let her unauthorized specialist perform a procedure

(Newser) - The medical director of the facility where Joan Rivers went into cardiac arrest during a routine procedure is no longer at the clinic. A Yorkville Endoscopy spokeswoman said Dr. Lawrence Cohen is no longer the facility's medical director, nor is he performing procedures there. She did not elaborate on...

Here's Melissa Rivers' Eulogy for Joan

Melissa gave one of 4 eulogies at the star-studded funeral

(Newser) - Joan Rivers' funeral last weekend was as star-studded as the late comedian had hoped for , with appearances by Whoopi Goldberg, Barbara Walters, Diane Sawyer, and more. There was even a performance of "Quiet Please, There's a Lady on Stage" by Hugh Jackman. Rivers also got four celebrity eulogies—...

Unplanned Biopsy Led to Death of Joan Rivers: Source

Broadway dims its lights for late star

(Newser) - What was supposed to be a routine procedure ended up causing the death of Joan Rivers , a medical source tells the New York Daily News . According to the source, a doctor in the star's entourage performed an unplanned biopsy after she went in for routine surgery on her vocal...

Howard Stern Gave Joan Rivers a Filthy Eulogy

But it was 'so Joan. So great,' Margaret Cho writes

(Newser) - Joan Rivers' funeral was a heartbreaking affair—in a blog post , fellow comedian Margaret Cho describes a throng of "girl comics" weeping "like professional mourners." And then Howard Stern began his eulogy. "Joan Rivers had a dry pussy," he said, according to Cho. After a...

Joan Rivers Gets Her Star-Studded Sendoff

Howard Stern pays tribute to 'crazy aunt at Bar Mitzvah'

(Newser) - No word on whether Meryl Streep is crying in five different accents , but Joan Rivers' funeral is under way at Temple Emanu-El in New York, and the private event is basically one rather large name-drop. Luminaries including Howard Stern, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kathy Griffin, Whoopi Goldberg, Barbara Walters, Kelly Osbourne,...

Sorry, Joan Rivers, People Took You Way Too Seriously

Charlotte Alter: Hypocrites who criticized her are now praising her

(Newser) - Look around today, and you'll find no shortage of breathless praise of Joan Rivers describing how bold and funny she was. The thing is, when she was alive, some of those very same outlets were criticizing her as mean, vulgar, and offensive, writes Charlotte Alter at Time . Rivers joked...

Here's How Joan Rivers Wanted Her Funeral to Go

Legendary comedian spoke a lot about death

(Newser) - In life, Joan Rivers was perfectly comfortable talking about death , so the beloved comedian had already made known her wishes for her funeral, the Huffington Post reports. In Rivers' 2012 book, she wrote:
  • "When I die (and yes, Melissa, that day will come; and yes, Melissa, everything's in
...

RIP Joan Rivers: Truly, a 'Piece of Work'

Tributes salute her remarkable, no-holds-barred career

(Newser) - How to sum up a life like the one lived by Joan Rivers ? Here are some of the early attempts:
  • New York Times : "... the raspy loudmouth who pounced on America’s obsessions with flab, face-lifts, body hair and other blemishes of neurotic life, including her own, in five
...

Joan Rivers, in Photos
 Joan Rivers, 
 in Photos 
Sep 4, 2014 3:04 PM CDT

Joan Rivers, in Photos

Comedian is dead at 81

(Newser) - The AP provides a look at Joan Rivers over the years in these images. The groundbreaking comedian died today at age 81.

Joan Rivers Dead at 81
 Joan Rivers Dead at 81 
Sep 4, 2014 2:09 PM CDT

Joan Rivers Dead at 81

Comedian's daughter makes announcement

(Newser) - Joan Rivers is dead at age 81, daughter Melissa announced today. The comedian "passed peacefully surrounded by family and close friends," said the statement. (Read it in full here .) As the Daily News recounts, the news comes after Rivers stopped breathing during a routine throat procedure on...

Clinic That Treated Joan Rivers Now Under Review

Rivers showing signs of brain function, source says

(Newser) - The clinic that performed outpatient throat surgery on Joan Rivers is being "reviewed" by the New York State Department of Health, TMZ reports. Officials clarify that this is not an official investigation and they aren't specifically targeting Rivers' doctor, but rather Yorkville Endoscopy as a whole. Meanwhile, ETOnline...

Joan Rivers Out of ICU
 Joan Rivers Out of ICU 
Sep 3, 2014 4:00 PM CDT

Joan Rivers Out of ICU

But family doesn't report any signs of improvement

(Newser) - Joan Rivers' family remains tight-lipped about the comedian's condition. Daughter Melissa released another short statement today: “My mother has been moved out of intensive care and into a private room where she is being kept comfortable,” it says. “Thank you for your continued support.” The...

Joan Rivers 'Remains on Life Support': Daughter

Melissa Rivers posts update on Facebook

(Newser) - Joan Rivers is still on life support, her daughter says on Facebook , per the Wire . "I know my mother would be overwhelmed by the continued outpouring of kindness and I want to thank everyone for keeping us in their prayers," Melissa Rivers notes. Family and friends are with...

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