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Joan Rivers through the years
Comedian Joan Rivers died September 4, 2014, a week after suffering cardiac arrest during a medical procedure, her daughter said. She was 81. Click through the gallery to look back at her career.
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Rivers' big break came in an appearance on Johnny Carson's "Tonight Show" in 1965. It was the beginning of a relationship that would include dozens of appearances as guest and guest host.
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Rivers followed her Carson breakthrough with appearances on talk and variety shows. Ed Sullivan had her as a guest in 1966.
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Rivers hit a peak in the 1980s, headlining in Las Vegas and becoming a regular guest host on the "Tonight Show."
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Rivers is famed for her quick wit, which she often uses against herself.
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Rivers later hosted talk shows of her own. Here, she chats with Dolly Parton.
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She starred on the daytime "Joan Rivers Show," for which she won a Daytime Emmy, for five seasons, from 1989-1994. Here, she poses with her dog, Spike.
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Rivers wanted to be an actress when she was young, and she fulfilled that goal after her success as a comedian -- though sometimes playing herself, as she did on "Nip/Tuck," with Julian McMahon, left, and Dylan Walsh.
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Rivers and her daughter, Melissa, have been regulars on awards show red carpets, critiquing celebrity fashion with lines both generous and cutting.
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Rivers talks with Tim McGraw and his wife, Faith Hill, at the Grammys in 2005.
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Rivers with Tina O'Brien at the British Academy Television Awards in 2007.
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Rivers was a star among comedians, admired for her longevity and wit. She attended the Mark Twain Prize ceremony in 2008. The honor that year went to the late George Carlin.
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Kathy Griffin is one of many comedians who can cite Rivers as an influence. Like Rivers, Griffin is known for mocking celebrities at various events. Here, she and Rivers share a stage during a Rivers roast in 2009.
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Rivers proved herself to be quite the savvy businessperson by winning a season of Donald Trump's "Celebrity Apprentice." Trump and his wife, Melania, join Rivers at the season finale in 2009.
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Katie Finneran and Rivers attend the Broadway opening after-party of "Promises, Promises" at the Plaza Hotel in New York in 2010.
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Rivers, a fashion lover, attends the LensCrafters' reveal of Sunglass Fashion Crimes in 2011.
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In February 2013, she attended the Dennis Basso Fall 2013 fashion show. Alongside her, from left, are Martha Stewart, Star Jones and Kelly Bensimon.
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After a falling-out with Johnny Carson, Rivers didn't return to the "Tonight Show" until earlier this year, when Jimmy Fallon took over as host. She was a guest on Fallon's show on February 17.
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Rivers officiates the wedding of William "Jed" Ryan, left, and Joseph Aiello at the Plaza Athenee on August 15 in New York.