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 The New York City Medical Examiner's Office said on Friday
that after an initial examination, further tests were needed to
determine the cause of Rivers' death.
The comedian passed away in a New York hospital on Thursday, a
week after she stopped breathing during an outpatient procedure
at a clinic and suffered cardiac arrest.
Rivers, 81, will have an invitation-only funeral at Temple Emanu-El,
a landmark synagogue on New York's Fifth Avenue where she was a
member of the congregation.
"We mourn with her family, friends and all those millions to
whom she brought laughter and joy,” Senior Rabbi Joshua M.
Davidson, who will conduct the service, said in a statement.
No details of the service were released, but in her 2012 book "I
Hate Everyone ...Starting With Me," the comedy star wrote about
wanting her funeral to be a big showbiz affair, complete with
actress Meryl Streep crying in different accents.
"I want paparazzi and I want publicists making a scene! I want
it to be Hollywood all the way."
The future of Rivers' E! cable television show "Fashion Police,"
which comments on the unfortunate red carpet choices of
Hollywood celebrities, is uncertain.
"Right now we are mourning our beloved Joan," the network said
in a statement. "We will respond at a later date with
programming updates."
The program was initially scheduled to miss two weeks following
Rivers' hospitalization.
Friends of the Brooklyn-born comedian, who helped pave the road
for women in comedy, remembered her in statements, tweets and
Facebook posts.
Late-night talk show host David Letterman said the force of her
comedy was overpowering.
“Here’s a woman, a real pioneer for other women looking for
careers in stand-up comedy," he said. "And talk about guts – she
would come out here and sit in this chair and say some things
that were unbelievable, just where you would have to swallow
pretty hard ... but it was hilarious."
Governor Andrew Cuomo described Rivers as an iconic New Yorker
whose wit will always be remembered. "Joan made the nation laugh
for more than 50 years, and for that we will always be
grateful," he said in a statement.
No topic or person was off-limits for Rivers, who stopped
breathing during a throat procedure at a Manhattan clinic and
was rushed to Mount Sinai Hospital, where she was put on life
support.
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Telephone messages left with the Yorkville Endoscopy Center,
where Rivers was treated, were unanswered.
The State Health Department investigation includes a review of
documents, medical records and interviews with staff and physicians
at the clinic, which was inspected before it opened in 2013. There
have been no complaints or violations involving the center, the
department said.
Rivers' death was the second of a famed U.S. comedian in less than a
month. Comedy genius and actor Robin Williams, 63, hanged himself in
California on Aug. 11.
Rivers' influence reached far beyond her New York roots. Her blunt,
unapologetic humor made millions of people around the globe laugh.
Britain's Prince Charles said he was "deeply saddened" by the death
of Rivers, who attended his 2005 wedding to the Duchess of Cornwall.
Rivers was also famous for having numerous cosmetic procedures,
which she joked about in her comedy routine.
"I’ve had so much plastic surgery, when I die they will donate my
body to Tupperware," said Rivers, who once described herself as the
"the plastic surgery poster girl."
Rivers, whose catchphrase was "Can we talk?", started as a comedy
writer and doing stand-up. She worked her way up to regular guest
host for Johnny Carson on NBC's popular "The Tonight Show."
Carson and Rivers had a falling-out when she started her own
late-night talk show in 1986 on the rival Fox network. Her show was
canceled within a year due to low ratings. A few months later, her
husband and manager, Edgar Rosenberg, committed suicide.
(Additional reporting by Piya Sinha-Roy in Los Angeles; Editing by
Eric Kelsey and David Gregorio)
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