Joan Rivers Felt "Hysterical" About Daughter Melissa Knowing This Before She Died
Joan Rivers never got bogged down by the little stuff, and didn't want that for her daughter, either.
As NBC brings together the biggest names in comedy for Joan Rivers: A Dead Funny All-Star Tribute, fans fondly remember Joan Rivers' blasé attitude toward death. Her daughter, Melissa Rivers, knows better than anyone that her mother often laughed despite the grim topic, and that was reflected in her final wishes.
Before her passing in 2014, Rivers made it clear to her daughter Melissa that she didn't want her to feel burdened by the lavish belongings she left behind. Rivers spoke very candidly about death in a 2014 interview with The Daily Beast, where she admitted she thought about death all the time.
"Constantly. In your 80s, you'd be foolish not to think about that," Rivers said. "I am definitely going to be cremated. I've left money so the dogs can be taken care of. I've said to Melissa, 'Sell anything and everything you don't want. Don't feel beholden to my possessions.' I feel almost hysterical on that. I don't want them to have a sense of guilt."
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Rivers approached death like she approached everything else in life: with sharp wit and brutal honesty. Rivers didn't want her daughter to feel bogged down by her hefty inheritance, a down-to-earth sentiment.
How Melissa Rivers honors her mother Joan Rivers
Rivers shared a very tight-knit bond with Melissa, not just as her mother but also as a creative partner for several red carpet events and iconic projects. Melissa adores her powerhouse mother and continues to honor her in the years following her passing.
Melissa initially struggled with grieving Rivers, telling E! News: "Everyone expects celebrity grief to be different," Melissa observed. "And it's not. That's something I learned. Maybe there's more of an invasion of privacy, but that doesn't make the emotions any different for anyone, ever."
Melissa and her son, Cooper, celebrate Rivers' birthday each year by lighting a candle and enjoying a nice meal together. It's a tradition that Melissa considers ironic, considering her mother's barbed wit at the dinner table. "I can literally feel her spirit slapping dessert out of my hands, saying, 'It's bathing suit season!' Bread would levitate off the table and be moved across the restaurant."
Melissa never lets Rivers miss out on the party. When Melissa and attorney Steve Mitchel tied the knot in 2024, the couple gifted guests with a golden bee pin — Rivers' longtime emblem — to honor the bride's late mother. Melissa also arranged for chocolate cake to be served from Hf Bar Ranch in Wyoming, according to People, a cherished place Rivers used to take her as a child.
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And then, of course, we'll see Melissa's love for her mother on a grand display during Joan Rivers: A Dead Funny All-Star Tribute, where she, along with a dynamite lineup of comics, will perform in honor of a comedic titan.
"Given that I'm dead, I assume someone will finally decide to honor me," Rivers wrote in a letter she left for her daughter. "Well, it's about time."
How to watch Joan Rivers: A Dead Funny All-Star Tribute
Joan Rivers: A Dead Funny All-Star Tribute premieres on Tuesday, May 13 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on NBC and will be available to stream the next day on Peacock.
"This tribute is everything my mother would have wanted — hilarious, unfiltered, and filled with people she respected (and roasted). And as usual, she was still the funniest person in the room. It's incredibly moving to see so many iconic comedians come together to celebrate her legacy, especially the women whose careers she helped make possible by breaking down so many doors," Melissa Rivers said. "I know she'd be thrilled to see how far things have come, and she'd still have notes."
