She was a trailblazer for female comedians, who left her mark with more than fifty years of making people laugh.
Reaction to Joan Rivers' death is pouring in, including from right here in the Capital.
She had several connections to Ottawa.
In 2012, Rivers spoke at to a sold-out crowd at the NAC for a Jewish Federation of Ottawa event.
That’s where she met Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson.
“She is very petite but larger than life, and very funny,” Watson recalled. “She really pushed the limit of comedy in terms of things some people might think are inappropriate to talk about, she just blurted it out.”
Rivers was also known to Ottawa philanthropist and restaurateur Dave Smith.
He first met her in the late 80s, when he escorted Ginger Rogers to the Academy Awards.
“She was funny on the stage but when you got back in the dressing room and just talked, I mean, she had you in total stiches, it was just such a treat to meet her,” Smith said. “She never talked above you, she always talked at your level, it was really interesting, you noticed it right away.”
Ottawa’s Pat Rinaldo got to know Rivers over the years after they met through friends.
“She was just such a lady, loyal to her friends, loved her pets, and was a gracious, gracious woman,” Rinaldo said. “She was very down to earth, you could talk to her about anything; she wasn't shy to expose her life.”
Rivers died after complications from throat surgery. She was 81.
