Funeral this Sunday

An autopsy on Joan Rivers has proved inconclusive.

The New York City medical examiner's office say more studies will be needed to determine the precise cause and manner of the 81-year-old comic’s death.

It is known that she suffered a cardiac and respiratory arrest during a minor procedure at the Yorkville Endoscopy clinic on August 28.

She was take to Manhattan's Mount Sinai where she remained on life support until she died yesterday. Her daughter Melissa issued a statement saying: ‘It is with great sadness that I announce the death of my mother, Joan Rivers. She passed peacefully at 1:17pm [6.17pm UK time] surrounded by family and close friends. My son and I would like to thank the doctors, nurses, and staff of Mount Sinai Hospital for the amazing care they provided for my mother.’

The endoscopy clinic is now being investigated by the New York State Department of Health, but no criminal investigations are under way.

Rivers’s funeral is to be held at Temple Emanu-El in Manhattan on Sunday, but it is not yet known if the public will be allowed to attend.

Click here for news of her death, tributes and obituary or here to see highlights from her career.

Published: 5 Sep 2014