Joan Rivers will always be remembered as the icon she was. See photos from her life, here.
Joan Rivers will always be an icon in the entertainment industry. The late actress, comedian, television host and writer is considered a pioneer of women in comedy. She got her start in the biz by performing at comedy clubs in Manhattan throughout the 1960s. After that, the Brooklyn native became an unstoppable force in Hollywood.
Eventually, Joan became the first woman to host a late-night TV show after The Late Show with Joan Rivers aired in 1986. She later co-hosted the red carpet series Fashion Police and dabbled in reality TV by appearing in Joan & Melissa: Joan Knows Best.
On September 4, 2014, Joan died after undergoing a minor throat operation at an outpatient clinic in New York City. Although she was resuscitated, Joan was transferred to a hospital, where she was placed on life support, and died shortly thereafter.
Scroll through the gallery below to see photos of Joan throughout her life.
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Joan Rivers in 1987
Getty Images
Joan posed for a portrait in Los Angeles in 1987 after rising to prominence in her career as a television host.
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Melissa & Joan in 2014
Erik Pendzich/Shutterstock
Melissa and Joan appeared at NBC Universal Upfront in New York.
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Joan Rivers out and about in New York
Zelig Shaul/Shutterstock
Joan was photographed in New York City in 2013.
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Joan Rivers in 2013
Picture Perfect/Shutterstock
Joan attended the ‘A Time to Kill’ play Broadway opening.
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Joan Rivers Book Store Appearance, Huntington, USA
Scott Roth/Invision/AP/Shutterst
Television personality Joan Rivers makes an appearance at Book Revue to promote her memoir Diary of a Mad Diva in Huntington.
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Joan Rivers in 2013
Getty Images
Joan Rivers appeared at the New York Society For The Prevention Of Cruelty To Children 2013 Wine Dinner at Metropolitan Pavilion in New york City.
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Usa Joan Rivers Funeral – Sep 2014
Peter Foley/EPA/Shutterstock
Us Comedian Whoopi Goldberg Arrives For the Funeral of Us Comedienne Joan Rivers at Temple Emanu-el in New York New York Usa 07 September 2014 Rivers Died at the Age of 81 on 04 September United States New York
Usa Joan Rivers Funeral – Sep 2014
May 11, 2020, 1:32PM 8 of 12
Usa Joan Rivers Funeral – Sep 2014
Peter Foley/EPA/Shutterstock
Us Businesswoman Ivanka Trump (r) and Her Husband Jared Kushner Arrive For the Funeral of Us Comedienne Joan Rivers at Temple Emanu-el in New York New York Usa 07 September 2014 Rivers Died at the Age of 81 on 04 September United States New York
Usa Joan Rivers Funeral – Sep 2014
May 11, 2020, 1:32PM 9 of 12
Usa Joan Rivers Funeral – Sep 2014
Peter Foley/EPA/Shutterstock
Melissa Rivers (r) and Her Son Edgar Cooper Endicott (c) Depart the Funeral of Their Mother and Grandmother Us Comedienne Joan Rivers at Temple Emanu-el in New York New York Usa 07 September 2014 Rivers Died at the Age of 81 on 04 September United States New York
Usa Joan Rivers Funeral – Sep 2014
May 11, 2020, 1:32PM 10 of 12
Usa Joan Rivers Funeral – Sep 2014
Peter Foley/EPA/Shutterstock
British Television Host and Presenter Kelly Osbourne Arrives For the Funeral of Us Comedienne Joan Rivers at Temple Emanu-el in New York New York Usa 07 September 2014 Rivers Died at the Age of 81 on 04 September United States New York
Usa Joan Rivers Funeral – Sep 2014
May 11, 2020, 1:32PM 11 of 12
Usa Joan Rivers Funeral – Sep 2014
John Taggart/EPA/Shutterstock
Us Business Magnate Donald Trump Arrives For the Funeral of Us Comedienne Joan Rivers at Temple Emanu-el in New York New York Usa 07 September 2014 Rivers Died at the Age of 81 on 04 September United States New York
Usa Joan Rivers Funeral – Sep 2014
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Obit-Joan Rivers, Los Angeles, USA
Damian Dovarganes/AP/Shutterstoc
Keely Hassett, Leimana Hassett Joan Rivers star Hollywood Sisters Keely Hassett, left, and Leimana Hassett from Maui, Hawaii, pay their respects next to flowers surrounding Joan Rivers’ star and memorial wreath on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles, . Rivers, the raucous, acid-tongued comedian who crashed the male-dominated realm of late-night talk shows and turned Hollywood red carpets into danger zones for badly dressed celebrities, died Thursday. She was 81
Obit-Joan Rivers, Los Angeles, USA
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