Joan Rivers is resting comfortably in hospital with family by her side, says the comedian’s daughter.
Rivers was rushed to The Mount Sinai Hospital in New York from a doctor’s office on Thursday after going into cardiac arrest.
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In a statement, Melissa Rivers said her mother was “resting comfortably” with family. She did not elaborate on the 81-year-old comedian’s condition.
“We ask that you continue to keep her in your thoughts and prayers,” Melissa Rivers said. She offered thanks for the “overwhelming love and support for my mother.”
Earlier, The Mount Sinai Hospital spokesman Sid Dinsay confirmed that Rivers had been brought there.
New York City police officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorised to publicly name Rivers, said she was taken to the hospital just after 9.30am local time on Thursday. It was unclear why she was visiting the doctor’s office.
Rivers’ representatives didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.
The entertainer has logged a half-century in show business and gave rise to red carpet commentary – and the snarky criticism that often accompanies it. Her signature red carpet query: “Who are you wearing”
She continues to maintain a busy schedule, and was to perform a show on Friday at the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank, New Jersey. That show has now been postponed.
Rivers spoke at an employee event at Time Inc. in New York on Wednesday night and appeared healthy, practically jogging when she walked in to take her seat, said Shira Blum, an online project manager.
“She seemed totally healthy,” Blum said. “She was very energetic, hilarious, funny. And it was such a shock, a surprise to hear the news this morning.”
Rivers took questions and said she wakes up every morning and “is thankful that everything works.
The host of Fashion Police on E! network, Rivers also presides over an online talk show, In Bed With Joan and co-stars with her daughter on the WEtv reality show, Joan & Melissa: Joan Knows Best
Her latest book, Diary of a Mad Diva, was released this year.
In 2009, Rivers emerged as the winner of The Celebrity Apprentice. A documentary, Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work, premiered in theatres in 2010.
A native of New York, Rivers originally entered show business with the dream of a theatrical career, but comedy became a way to pay the bills while she auditioned for acting roles.
After proving herself in comedy clubs, Rivers was a smash on her first booking on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson in 1965.
“God, you’re funny,” Carson told her.
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– AP
