Witting, biting, irreverent, hilarious, sometimes insulting yet widely adored. Joan Rivers has died at age 81. Joan Rivers has died in a New York hospital, where she was admitted a week ago after going into cardiac arrest following vocal cord surgery. "It is with great sadness that I announce the death of my mother, Joan Rivers," Melissa Rivers has said in a statement. "She passed peacefully at 1:17 p.m. 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." The irreverent comedian was 81. She had a legion of gay fans and told The Advocate in a recent interview they have been “wonderful from day one”. “I remember when I was working at the Duplex in Greenwich Village in New York at the beginning of my career and the only ones who would laugh at my jokes were the gay guys. I think if I had started out in straight clubs and bars I never would’ve gotten anywhere,” she said. “Even today,” she adds, “when I’m on tour I always know if I get eight gay men in the front row it’s going to be a great show. Maybe it’s just me and I know they’re going to laugh at what I’d laugh at, but when my gays are in the audience it’s always a good time.”
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Friday, 5th September 2014 - 8:14am