Breaking News : Joan Rivers Dies At 81

Stand-up comic pioneer, Joan Rivers, the queen of "Can We Talk?" gossip, has died at age 81.

The legendary stand-up comic, talk show host and gossip queen Joan Rivers has died. She was 81.  As previously reported, Rivers underwent surgery on her vocal cords at a clinic in New York City on Aug. 28.  During what was supposed to be a routine operation, she stopped breathing, went into cardiac arrest and had to be transported to Mount Sinai Hospital.

CNN reports James O'Hara, a spokesman for the New York Department of Health, said the outpatient clinic is now being investigated.  Her daughter Melissa Rivers confirmed her mother's passing today and in a brief statement told CNN, "She passed peacefully at 1:17 p.m. surrounded by family and close friends."