I’m sad to say that Joan Rivers–one of the greatest comics of all time–has passed away in New York City, the place of her birth 81 years ago. Her daughter, Melissa, confirmed it. Here is a partial quote:

“It is with great sadness that I announce the death of my mother, Joan Rivers,” Rivers said in a statement. “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.”

A young Joan Rivers

Rivers has been on life support for the past six days. She stopped breathing during a surgical procedure on Aug 26th.

Joan Rivers was a pioneer not just as a women, but for all comedians. Her time on The Tonight Show was classic comedy (check it out on Youtube). She won an Emmy for her talk show, and a Grammy for best comedy album.

Of course, most of us know her from her work for the E Network, and that’s a shame. She was much more than that.

My brother, the comedian Scott Sanders, admires her work very much, and turned me on to her older stuff. Scott says “Her self-depreciating humor was very inspiring to me.” I agree.

What more can I say? Rest in Peace, Joan.