Entertainment
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Fans and Joan's A-list colleagues alike are sharing their condolences.
Here's a collection of reactions:
Joan Rivers will always be a pioneer. She paved the way for a lot of comedians. I'm very sad she's gone. pic.twitter.com/i1uE9fyHMh
- Ellen DeGeneres (@TheEllenShow) September 4, 2014
Joan Rivers has died. What a sad ending to a brilliant and tragi-comic life; one of the bravest, and funniest of all.
- Bette Midler (@BetteMidler) September 4, 2014
A legend, a friend, a mentor, an icon, and wildly funny. One of a kind. RIP #JoanRivers @joan_rivers pic.twitter.com/jnAC5G4AQo
- Kathy Griffin (@kathygriffin) September 4, 2014
we lost a great one in @Joan_Rivers - she was funny all the way to the end
- Jimmy Kimmel (@jimmykimmel) September 4, 2014
Joan Rivers was a huge presence in American comedy forever. She was one of a kind and will be a great loss to all who loved humor. R.I.P.
- Albert Brooks (@AlbertBrooks) September 4, 2014
Keeping the family of @JoanRivers in our thoughts & prayers as they grieve her passing. Here's why she'll be missed: http://t.co/yxz5Cf9Ie4
- DL Hughley (@RealDLHughley) September 4, 2014
So funny and irrepressible. Rest in peace, Joan Rivers.
- bob saget (@bobsaget) September 4, 2014
My heart is torn in half. She wasn't done. #Joan http://t.co/XH87wAT4Mb
- Sarah Silverman (@SarahKSilverman) September 4, 2014
I loved Joan Rivers. A trailblazing funny lady. Have fun up there. #RIPJoan
- Elizabeth Banks (@ElizabethBanks) September 4, 2014
Joan Rivers @Joan_Rivers was an amazing woman and a great friend. Her energy and talent were boundless. She will be greatly missed.
- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 4, 2014
"Comedy is about making everybody laugh & deal with things. My mother is deaf, u stupid sonovabitch." https://t.co/JKd6sLaq5B #RIPJoanRivers
- Mike Birbiglia (@birbigs) September 4, 2014
Watching Joan Rivers do standup at age 81 was incredible: athletic, jaw-dropping, terrifying, essential. It never stopped. Neither will she.
- Lena Dunham (@lenadunham) September 4, 2014
RIP GODDESS: Hail Hail, a GENIUS has vacated this realm: Joan Rivers has died.
- Roseanne Barr (@therealroseanne) September 4, 2014
.@MelRivers my heart goes out to you& your family at the loss of your mother. @Joan_Rivers showed us women could be unapologetically funny.
- Rita Wilson (@RitaWilson) September 4, 2014
R.I.P Joan Rivers. Thanks to you, I stopped dressing like a "hooker from the future".
- AZEALIA ?? BANKS (@AZEALIABANKS) September 4, 2014
Fashion week will not be the same ... RIP @Joan_Rivers You will be missed.
- RJ Mitte (@RjMitte) September 4, 2014
A true comedy pioneer has passed. To stay that funny & that relevant into your 80s is an impossible feat in comedy. All hail @Joan_Rivers!!!
- Paul Feig (@paulfeig) September 4, 2014
Deadline has statements from more of Joan's colleagues and co-stars:
Louis C.K.: "I feel very lucky that I knew Joan Rivers and I feel very sad that she's gone. She was a great comedian and a wonderful person. I never saw someone attack a stage with so much energy. She was a controlled lightning bolt. She was a prolific and unpredictable, joyful joke writer. She loved comedy. She loved the audience. She was a great actress and should have done that more. She loved living and working. She was kind. She was real. She was brave. She was funny and you just wanted to be around her. I looked up to her. I learned from her. I loved her. I liked her. And I already miss her very much. It really fucking sucks that she had to die all of a sudden."
Barbara Walters: "No one loved life, laughter, and a good time more than Joan. We would have dinner and laugh and gossip and I always left the table smiling. She was a brassy, often outrageous, and hilarious performer who made millions laugh. In private, she was the picture of elegance and class. I will miss her."
Ryan Seacrest: "Joan was a trailblazer in so many ways, and I greatly admired her talent and humor. She was a colleague and friend, as we worked together on E!, and she was also a treasured guest on my radio show many times. Regardless of the forum, Joan was full of funny, witty surprises and she had so much spirit. She will be greatly missed. My thoughts and prayers go out to Melissa and her family."
Kelly Ripa: "Joan Rivers was a pioneer in the entertainment industry. Fearless, tireless, and brilliantly funny. I will forever look up to Joan. She was a true friend. My thoughts and prayers are with her family."