Joan Rivers Dead: Hollywood Honors the Groundbreaking Comedienne

Barbara Walters, Ellen DeGeneres, Kathy Griffin, Ryan Seacrest and Jimmy Kimmel are among Rivers’ famous fans

Joan Rivers during 2013 E! "Fashion Police" Shoot. (Brian Bowen Smith/E!)

Joan Rivers, who broke barriers and made the way for female comedians after her, died on Thursday.

The comedian was left on life support after she stopped breathing during throat surgery last week. Her only daughter, Melissa, broke the news on Thursday.

“My mother’s greatest joy in life was to make people laugh,” she said in the announcement. “Although that is difficult to do right now, I know her final wish would be that we return to laughing soon.”

See photos:ย Hollywood’s Notable Deaths of 2014

Rivers, whose accomplishments include fronting E!’s “Fashion Police,” becoming the preferred substitute host for Johnny Carson’s late night show and becoming only the second woman to host a late night TV show, was honored by her famous fans Ellen DeGeneres, Kathy Griffin, Albert Brooks and Jimmy Kimmel, among others.

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