Joan Rivers Stops Breathing, In Medically Induced Coma

Thursday, 28 August 2014

Joan Rivers Stops Breathing, In Medically Induced Coma

Veteran comedian Joan Rivers stopped breathing during a throat surgery and had to be placed in a medically-induced coma.

The 81-year-old comic was rushed from an Upper East Side clinic to Mount Sinai Hospital in critical condition on Thursday morning after she stopped breathing during a routine medical procedure.

Rivers accepted a bouquet of flowers from a fan as she finished her stand-up performance at around 9.30pm on Wednesday.

The entertainment legend even posed for pictures with a fan on the way out of the Laurie Beechman Theatre, only to suffer respiratory failure less than twelve hours later during surgery on her throat.

Her daughter, Melissa Rivers, dashed from LA to New York and arrived at the hospital at around 8pm and was ushered to the 11th floor luxury room in which her mother is now said by doctors to be in a stable condition.

She released a statement thanking everyone for their messages of support and gave a brief update on her mother’s condition.

‘I want to thank everyone for the overwhelming love and support for my mother,’ Melissa said in a statement.

‘She is resting comfortably and is with our family. We ask that you continue to keep her in your thoughts and prayers.’