In what's turning into a quite a morbid year for famous deaths indeed, Joan Rivers has now passed away at 81, after spending the last few days on life support after surgery on her vocal chords went awry. The legendary comedian was a ferocious force to behold, hardworking well into the present day on E!'s Fashion Police (a channel that she practically placed on the map single-handedly), as well as continuing stand-up, reality shows, etc. An entertainer for more than fifty years, she first became famous as a guest on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson in the 1960's, and was one of the pioneering female comedians of the era, and as a regular guest host of the show, was the first woman talk show host on late night television. Controversy followed her regularly, through her rifts with Carson, her canceled talk show of her own in the 80's, but she always reinvented herself, most influentially as a red carpet host of awards shows in the late 90's, a gig she basically turned into the monster industry that it is today (credit her with popularizing the "who are you wearing" question). Love her or hate her, she was uncompromising, pulled no punches, and always one to make fun of herself as well as the hordes of celebrities she targeted, and because of that she never lost any of the spark that made her so fierce up until the day she died.
On The Tonight Show in 1986 with Johnny Carson:
