Joan Rivers Stops Breathing During Surgery 
 
 Joan Rivers -- Stops Breathing During Surgery 
 
 EXCLUSIVE 
 
 Melissa Rivers released a statement saying Joan is now "resting comfortably."﻿We're told ... at one point, Joan's heart stopped beating.It's unclear if doctors were able to restart the comic's heart.-- We're told an emergency call was placed to 911 at 9:39 AM ET and the caller said, "We have somebody in either cardiac or respiratory arrest."was rushed to a hospital in New York City moments ago ... after she stopped breathing during a surgery on her throat ... TMZ has learned.We're told Rivers was undergoing the throat procedure in a clinic (specifically on her vocal cords) ... when she stopped breathing during the surgery.Sources say 81-year-old Rivers was rushed to Mount Sinai hospital in New York.We're told her daughteris on her way to New York.Story developing ... ||||| Joan Rivers was placed in a medically induced coma Thursday — just hours after cracking jokes on stage about her own mortality. 
 
 Emergency workers pulled the unresponsive comic from an Upper East Side doctor’s office where Rivers was in the midst of a procedure on her vocal cords, sources told the Daily News. The comic and fashion critic was rushed about 9:40 a.m. from Yorkville Endoscopy on E. 93rd St. to Mount Sinai Hospital. 
 
 “I want to thank everyone for the overwhelming love and support for my mother,” Rivers’ daughter, Melissa Rivers, said in a statement Thursday night. 
 
 The daughter, 46, arrived at the hospital in a Chevrolet Suburban with tinted windows just after 8 p.m. She entered through a shipping and receiving gate and was whisked up to the 11th-floor luxe suites to see her mother. 
 
 “She is resting comfortably and is with our family,” Melissa Rivers said. “We ask that you continue to keep her in your thoughts and prayers.” 
 
 The medical emergency was a shocking turn from the night before when Rivers left ’em laughing during a standup show where she joked about her time remaining on Earth. 
 
 Joan Rivers' assistant, Graham Reed, is seen Thursday outside Mount Sinai Hospital, where the comedian was rushed after she stopped breathing during surgery at a clinic. (Marcus Santos/New York Daily News) Melissa Rivers arrived in this SUV at Mount Sinai Hospital on Thursday evening. (Michael Graae/For NY Daily News) Rivers was rushed to Mount Sinai Hospital on Madison Ave. at 99th St. (Jefferson Siegel/New York Daily News) Joan Rivers visited Yorkville Endoscopy on Thursday for a procedure on her vocal cords. (Jeff Bachner/for New York Daily News) 
 
 “She did a joke onstage, she goes, ‘I’m 81 — I could go at any moment,’” recounted Shade Rupe, 45, who attended the Wednesday night show at the Laurie Beechman Theatre. “‘I could fall over right here and you all could say, ‘I was there!’” 
 
 The laughter was replaced Thursday by grave concern, as friends stood vigil at the hospital and awaited Melissa Rivers’ arrival from California. 
 
 “We are scared,” a family source told The News. “This is not looking good.” 
 
 Rivers, who was in critical condition late Thursday, will remain in a coma until the weekend, when doctors will discuss with her daughter the damage caused when her mother fell unconscious during a routine visit. 
 
 “They don’t know how long she was starved of oxygen,” a source said. 
 
 (New York Daily News) 
 
 A source said Rivers had struggled with vocal trouble for the past year, and finally went Thursday for a diagnosis. The Brooklyn-born comic, known for her distinctive husky voice, kidded with friends about her throat woes. 
 
 “She is going to have a million jokes about what that doctor did to her,” predicted one optimistic pal. 
 
 Rivers’ longtime publicist, Judy Katz, was in Rivers’ hospital room with assistants Graham Reed and Jocelyn Pickett. 
 
 Reed was overheard outside the hospital telling someone that Rivers was “not conscious, but she’s stable.” 
 
 A family source said other friends were gathering Thursday inside Rivers’ apartment, nervously awaiting medical updates. 
 
 Joan Rivers is fighting for her life after her heart stopped during a routine treatment for a vocal problem on Thursday. (Larry Busacca/Getty Images for Tribeca Film Festival) Joan Rivers was hospitalized after she stopped breathing during surgery on Thursday. (Charles Sykes/Charles Sykes/Invision/AP) Joan Rivers holds her award at the Daytime Emmy Awards. (Time Life Pictures/The LIFE Picture Collection/Gett) 
 
 “She would want us all to laugh,” the source said. “But at the moment, we are all praying.” 
 
 There was an immediate Twitter outpouring for the groundbreaking comedienne, widely hailed for helping women find their place in the male-dominated industry. 
 
 Among those sending along goodwill were two current comics who followed in her funny footsteps. 
 
 “Get well my friend,” tweeted fellow comic Kathy Griffin. 
 
 “I’m thinking about you and sending lots of love your way,” wrote Ellen DeGeneres. 
 
 This was Joan Rivers performing on Wednesday. The next day, she was rushed to the hospital when she stopped breathing during a visit to the doctor. (Shade Rupe) Joan Rivers stops for pic with fan Shade Rupe after her show on Wednesday. (Shade Rupe) Joan Rivers Fashion Police 2014 Emmys on E! Joan Rivers during an interview with host Johnny Carson on April 25, 1986. (NBC/NBC via Getty Images) 
 
 Outside the hospital, fans turned out to support the take-no-prisoners comic whose career stretched across six decades. 
 
 “I love her,” said fan Frank Rosado, 55, who came to Mount Sinai after hearing the grim news. “She’s a great human being. I would not like to lose her. We just lost Robin Williams.” 
 
 Celebrity pals sent message of support, too. 
 
 “We love you Joan Rivers #prayers xoxoxo,” tweeted Hoda Kotb a News columnist and “Today” show host. 
 
 “Love and prayers for Joan Rivers,” wrote Bernadette Peters. 
 
 Melissa Rivers is seen at LAX as she rushes to New York to be with mom Joan Rivers, who is reportedly in critical condition. (Sharky / Splash News) Melissa Rivers is seen at LAX as she rushes to New York to be with mom Joan Rivers, who is reportedly in critical condition. (Sharky / Splash News) Melissa Rivers is seen at Los Angeles International Airport as she rushes to be with her mother, Joan Rivers, who is in critical condition at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York. 
 
 The perpetually busy Rivers was slated for a now-canceled Friday night show at the Count Basie Theater in Red Bank, N.J. 
 
 Rivers became a household name shortly after a 1965 breakthrough spot that left Johnny Carson in tears behind his desk on “The Tonight Show.” 
 
 Over the years, she repeatedly reinvented herself: Hosting a daytime talk show, co-starring with daughter Melissa on reality television, writing a dozen books, even selling jewelry on cable television. 
 
 But she never left her standup career behind, and was actually trying out some new material at her Wednesday night appearance. 
 
 Rupe, who had never seen Rivers in person, said he was amazed by her energy and attitude. 
 
 “She was so on,” he recalled Thursday. “If you had me guess her age, I’d say she was in her 50s. She didn’t miss a step, she didn’t go ditzy, she didn’t forget anything and her timing was amazing.” 
 
 He said she was perfectly in control from the moment she walked on stage. Rivers accepted a bouquet of flowers from an excited fan at the end of the one-hour show. 
 
 Rupe said the comedienne left the 99-seat theater on W. 43rd St. about 9:30 p.m. The plastic surgery veteran posed for a picture with Rupe before she headed off. 
 
 “She looked fantastic,” recalled Rupe. “I saw her leaving, and I just wanted to say ‘Hi.’ I said, ‘Would you mind doing a picture?’ and she did it.” 
 
 With Rich Schapiro 
 
 dsandoval@nydailynews.com 
 
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– Joan Rivers stopped breathing during a throat procedure this morning and is in "stable but critical condition," reports E! Online. The 81-year-old comedian is now at Mt. Sinai Hospital in Manhattan, but the hospital isn't saying much. The Daily News reports that Rivers has been placed in a medically induced coma and that doctors won't bring her out of it until the weekend to evaluate her condition. Like all the other reports circulating, however, it remains unconfirmed. Rivers was rushed to Mt. Sinai from a nearby clinic when the throat procedure went wrong. "We have somebody in either cardiac or respiratory arrest," said the caller to 911, reports TMZ. Daughter Melissa and Melissa's son, Cooper, have flown to New York City to be with her. “We are scared,” another family source tells the Daily News. "This is not looking good. No big medical decisions will be made until Melissa arrives." E! reports that the trouble occurred when clinic staff put a scope down Rivers' throat to check her vocal chords. She was sedated at the time, but "this was not major surgery," says the source. A hospital spokesperson said Rivers' "family wants to thank everybody for their outpouring of love and support."