Joan Rivers dies at 81

Joan Rivers had died, aged 81. She had a very peaceful passing, surrounded by family.

I am pretty bummed, I really like Joan Rivers. She had no problem with stirring up some shit, and didn't take any hassle from the big dogs in the industry when she was coming up. She had an INFAMOUS feud with Johnny Carson when she told him she was going to be doing a competing show. Reportedly, she called him to let him know and he instantly hung up the phone never to speak to her again after years of friendship. She did all that horrible red carpet crud but that was the least of her work

Most of all, she was fucking funny.

Here she is on Louie

Joan Rivers is one of the funniest comedians to come along in the 20th century. She had a sharp wit, a biting delivery, and was absolutely ruthless in her pursuit of chuckles. I'm upset that she's gone, but it's nice to hear that she passed peacefully and that her loved ones were with her in the end.

I should listen to some her stand up tonight. She was pretty great at it.

I would suggest everyone check out the documentary "Joan Rivers: Piece of Work." I think it's on Netflix. It's a fascinating look at her and her career. A career that I think a lot of people have forgotten or just never heard about and instead just see her as being the butt of some plastic surgery jokes or whatever.

Even at that age she was one of the sharpest comedic minds around. She made Fashion Police watchable.

Damn shame :(

This isn't a great year for comedic legends is it?

It is indeed very sad. There are few of the old guard left.

She was in Spaceballs, one of my favorite movies.

Rest in peace.

Gotta say I never really followed her work but I still very much knew her name so that says a lot about how much influence she had in her industry.

Joan Rivers was and always will be one of the funniest of all time. She, Phyllis Diller, and Jean Carroll revolutionised stand-up not only for women, but for comedy as a whole.

We've sadly lost them all, now, but their positive mark on humanity is permanent. Here are some more vids to keep the laughs coming...

And this is more of a RuPaul interview, but I watched it first just like a week ago, and was thrilled at how funny Joan was even in just talking to someone. She had the kind of funny that she just couldn't turn off.

Wasn't she a bit of a shit stirrer in her later years? I remember her coming up with some really controversial opinions in later life.

She was deliberately stirring the pot up until a few months ago. Making very off colour jokes about whatever the hell she wanted, and refusing to apologize for any of it. She was making the point that being offended at jokes is just that and nothing more, that she owed nobody anything. She just did not give a fuck. Awesome lady.

@splodge said:

That one joke about living rent free made me ruin a shirt from the spit take I did. I wanted to find that woman and hug her for making such an utterly tasteless joke so hilarious.

God damnit that was funny.

She recently made some very un-awesome and non-jokey comments about the Israeli–Palestinian conflict that were wholly offensive. Doesn't justify making similar remarks about her own sad passing of course, but it was quite nasty.

Still, RIP to her. Very sad to see her go.

I liked Joan Rivers, but she had a full life full of plastic surgery, red carpets, singing and being legitimately funny at one time.

RIP

She was one awesome comic. For someone to last that long in the business and to have her hands in so many projects in front and behind the camera is a massive accomplishment. In the 60s she WROTE for Johnny Carson! I mean come on to write for Carson, to appear on Carson, and to fill in for Johnny while he was on vacation makes her a rare comic. Their falling out speaks more about Johnny's dark side than about Joan.

I remember the first time and the first joke I heard Joan say, it was one of her classics from standup. "When I need a pick-me-up, I put a little Fresca on a maxi-pad" I LIKE that I can remeber taht from the mid-70s when I was just a kid. I was too young to know what a maxie pad was, but I knew what Fresca was for sure.

Maybe, young people don't realize it, but Joan Rivers is up there with Lenny Bruce, George Carlin, Richard Pryor, Robin Williams, Bill Cosby, Lucille Ball, Jerry Seinfeld, George Burns, and Bob Hope. I mean GIANTS in the industry who's influences has lasted half a century or more....oh, Seinfeld will get there believe me.

Yup, he was a ruthless man. They had a huge falling out. Once she told him she was going to have her own show, but it would be in conflict with his, he hung up and would never speak to her ever again. Completely shut down.

Damn, she seemed like one of those personalities that wasn't going to go anytime soon. If any of us leads a life as half as interesting as her's we'd be lucky.

Aye, rest in peace.

Found this on Reddit. I think she would have appreciated it!

I only thought of Joan Rivers as that bitchy red carpet lady with the E! show until I saw her appearance on Louie. After that I looked up some of her work and was blown away by how hilarious and ballsy she was. It made me feel ashamed for having such a one-dimensional perspective of her for so long. It sucks that she's gone but she has left behind a hell of a body of work and seemingly inspired a lot of comedians.

RIP Joan.

@splodge said:

Found this on Reddit. I think she would have appreciated it!

Oh that is too fucking perfect.