Joan Rivers was a pioneer for female late-night television stars, for comedians in a male-dominated industry and most recently known for her unfiltered mouth on the hit E! television show “Fashion Police.” According to CNN reporter Jenn Christensen, the 81-year-old celebrity icon died during a throat surgery this past Thursday, Sept. 4. Rivers not only inspired others to dress better but to always be themselves no matter how outrageous.
Captured on tape was a touching moment between Joan and her daughter Melissa before she underwent a plastic surgery procedure on the pair’s show Joan and Melissa, which just finished filming its fourth season on WE TV.
“So, listen, alright if anything happens, I’m no chicken. I’ve had a great life, an amazing life … if it ended right now … amazing, an amazing life,” Rivers said to her daughter on “Joan and Melissa.”
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She continued, “ … if something happens, things are fine and life is fine, and life is so much fun. It’s one big movie.”
Rivers left a legacy of television and film work including The Late Show with Joan Rivers and The Joan Rivers Show” during the 1990s, to most recently Celebrity Apprentice, which she won in 2009, to Fashion Police. Besides countless talk shows, Rivers also made appearances in television shows like Hot in Cleveland, Louie, Arthur, The Simpsons, Nip/Tuck” and even a recent appearance in Iron Man 3. She even had her own documentary Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work, according to imbd.com. Besides her on-screen work, Rivers has published multiple comedy and self-help books, such as “Men Are Stupid … And They Like Big Boobs: A Woman’s Guide to Beauty Through Plastic Surgery” and “I Hate Everyone … Starting with Me,” according to Paperbackswap.com.
Rivers’ accolades don’t stop there—Joan was nominated four times and eventually received a Daytime Emmy award in 1990 for Outstanding Talk Show Host. In 2010 she received a Perseverance award from the Alliance of Women Film Journalists according to imbd.com.
Keene State College students don’t seem to be as greatly affected by the news of Joan Rivers’ death in comparison to fellow celebrity Robin Williams but they have acknowledged her accomplishments.
Student Olivia Dileo said, ”When I heard of Joan’s passing it was sad. I knew she had been in the hospital but it was really sad to know she didn’t make it. I felt really bad for her daughter and grandson. It must have been hard for them to take her off life support.” Like Dileo, junior Paige Priskie was also sad to hear of the news.
“Fashion Police will never be the same. I can’t believe it just ended so sudden,” Priskie said.
Although Rivers was well-known for her unfiltered mouth and bashing celebrity style, Joan was truly a trailblazer for women.
“Although I have no desire to be apart of the entertainment world I feel like she did have an influence on me in respect to the fact that she is a strong, independent woman who was not afraid to say what everyone is thinking,” senior Heather Fagan said.
Fagan continued to explain a charity that Joan supported called God’s Love, which cooks and delivers meals to people with AIDS.
“Most people don’t know this, but she was a very big humanitarian and that is something I have always admired in her,” Fagan said.
Kendall Pope can be contacted at kpope@keene-equinox.com
