Legendary comedienne Joan Rivers, who was admitted to Mount Sinai Hospital in New York last week after she stopped breathing during a surgical procedure on her vocal cords, died on Thursday. She was 81.
The "Fashion Police" host was surrounded by family and close friends as she breathed her last, daughter Melissa Rivers said in a statement cited by People.
"It is with great sadness that I announce the death of my mother, Joan Rivers," Melissa said.
"She passed peacefully at 1:17 p.m. surrounded by family and close friends…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," the statement said.
Arguably the world's most famous female comedienne, Joan has never shied away from poking fun at others, which has often landed her in trouble.
Just weeks before being hospitalised, Joan was asked about her reaction to the increasing number of Palestinians being killed in the Israeli-Gaza crisis, to which the comedienne replied that the ones who were dead deserved to die.
"Good. Good. When you declare war, you declare war. They started it. We now don't count who's dead. You're dead, you deserve to be dead. Don't you dare make me feel bad about that," she told TMZ. "They were told to get out. They didn't get out. You don't get out, you are an idiot. At least the ones that were killed were the ones with low IQs."
Here are some of her other comments that had landed Joan in hot water.
Calling Obama Gay: Early this year when Joan was asked about the possibility of a gay U.S. president, this is what she had to say: "We already have it with Obama, so let's just calm down," she said. "You know Michelle (Obama) is a trans."
Heidi Klum Holocaust Joke: "The last time a German looked this hot was when they were pushing Jews into the ovens," Joan commented about Heidi Klum's 2013 Oscar outfit, and many people found the comment distasteful as well as offensive.
Kim Kardashian's wedding to Kanye West: "I am praying, [because] I like Kim, that this relationship lasts for her sake, because she is running out of black men. You do know she thinks Kanye is the one, don't you? Which is why she waited on the second night to [expletive] him."
North West: "That baby is ugly…I've never seen a 6-month-old so desperately in need of waxing."
Justin Bieber: "Someone needs to sit him down and say, 'You are not a big black thug. You are just like your shoes: ordinary and completely white.'"
