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Joan Rivers, Legendary Comedian, Dead At 81

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The AP is reporting that Joan Rivers, the caustic comedian who broke the glass ceiling for women in comedy, has died. She was 81.

Rivers had been put in a medically induced coma after being rushed to the hospital last week for respiratory failure, but daughter Melissa took her off life support today to allow her to pass comfortably in a private room. 

Melissa released a statement on Joan's website:

It is with great sadness that I announce the death of my mother, Joan Rivers. She passed peacefully at 1:17pm surrounded by family and close friends. My son and I would like to thank the doctors, nurses, and staff of Mount Sinai Hospital for the amazing care they provided for my mother.

Cooper and I have found ourselves humbled by the outpouring of love, support, and prayers we have received from around the world. They have been heard and appreciated.

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

Rivers came to prominence as a frequent guest and fill-in host on The Tonight Show, but she enraged Johnny Carson by accepting an offer to host a nighttime talk show on Fox. The two never spoke again.

In addition to her often outrageous standup, Rivers was a genius when it came to marketing, both herself and her jewelry on the Home Shopping Network.

She was also an early ally of the LGBT community, giving her time and energy to AIDS organizations like GMHC, inviting drag queens onto her 1980s daytime talk show and, more recently, officiating over two same-sex weddings in New York.

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