A Tribute to Joan Rivers

This weekend, the world bid a somber farewell to a true comedy icon. Joan Rivers passed away on September 4th, 2014, as a result of serious complications during a surgery on her vocal cords. Joan Rivers, or as her birth name would have it: Joan Alexandra Molinsky, was born in Brooklyn , New York, to Russian Jewish immigrant parents. Her career began in the early 1960’s, when she appeared as a guest on The Tonight Show, hosted by Johnny Carson,  as well as The Ed Sullivan show. Joan Rivers came to be best known for stand-up comedy, red carpet interviews, and for hosting television shows, most notably The Joan Rivers Show and Fashion Police. Rivers is also well known for having starred in the reality series Joan & Melissa: Joan Knows Best? with her daughter, Melissa.

Joan Rivers was a comedy legend, evident in her seemingly endless filmography and work on television and in plays, as well as her long list of prestigious award nominations. For instance, she received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1989. In 1984, Joan Rivers was nominated for a Grammy for the Best Comedy Album for her album What Becomes a Semi-Legend Most?. She was also nominated for five Emmy awards for her daytime talk show, The Joan Rivers Show, and won the Emmy for Outstanding Talk Show Host. In 1994, she was nominated a Tony award for Best Actress in a Play for her work in "Sally Marr... and Her Escorts".

Finally, in 2009, Joan Rivers was nominated for another Emmy for her work on Arthur. Joan Rivers will always be remembered as a talented and unique individual and as a star comedian.