In this week's issue of Closer Weekly, Joan Rivers' daughter Melissa Rivers pens a heartfelt essay about her late mother. Dive in to read Melissa's touching tribute to the legendary comedienne Joan Rivers.

Listen, folks, my mom wasn’t exactly the queen of secrets. To say she wore her heart on her sleeve is an understatement. We had a dear friend who used to tease her, "Joan, could you please be a well instead of a fountain?" But let me clarify—she wasn’t the type to spill family drama in her stand-up routines. She was fiercely protective of me and my son, Cooper, now 17. If there was anything she thought might hurt us, you can bet your bottom dollar she kept it locked down tight. She was particularly watchful over Cooper. That woman adored him like no other.

Behind the Scenes: Joan's Warmth and Compassion

Now, when you think of Joan Rivers, you might picture a sharp-tongued comedian who could cut through steel with her wit. But off-stage, she was a different story altogether. She was warm, sensitive, and deeply caring. Whether it was family, friends, or even strangers, she genuinely listened and cared about what people had to say. That’s why so many people felt comfortable opening up to her. You see, Joan had a way of making people feel like they already knew her. She was open about her own struggles, like the heartbreak of losing my father in 1987. That vulnerability created a bond with her audience that was almost unbreakable.

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Joan with Melissa and her son Cooper.

Here's the thing about being a suicide survivor—it’s complicated. In the heat of the moment, you want to assign blame, find fault, make sense of the senseless. But the truth is, the person made their own choice. My parents were going through a tough time, but at the end of the day, no one forced my father, Edgar Rosenberg, to take those pills. It’s a hard pill to swallow, and when you're drowning in grief, it’s easy to deify the person who took their own life. You look for reasons, external factors to explain the inexplicable. I wanted to blame my mom, to say, "It’s your fault," but deep down, I knew it wasn’t.

Healing Through Work and Therapy

After my father’s death, my mom found herself alone after 20 years of partnership. The financial pressures were immense, but she didn’t let them break her. Instead, she dove headfirst back into work. It was her way of healing. Meanwhile, I was processing things in my own way, and for a while, we drifted apart. That’s when she insisted we go to therapy. It was the best decision we could have made at the time. We had to consciously choose to come back together, and it became a pivotal moment in our relationship. We rebuilt our bond, stronger than ever.

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Joan and her second husband Edgar.

Joan’s Drive and Fear of Being Forgotten

My mom’s work ethic was unmatched, but it stemmed from a deep-seated insecurity. She worried about her looks, her age, her relevance. She’d often lament, "Watch! As soon as I die, everyone’s going to come out of the woodwork saying I was the best, but right now, I can’t even book a job. They say I’m too old." Her biggest fear was being forgotten. That’s why she embraced shows like Fashion Police, which introduced her to a whole new generation. Younger audiences discovered her through her red carpet antics. Many didn’t even know she once hosted The Tonight Show. It was all about staying relevant.

Joan believed that if you ever stopped and said, "Look at all I’ve accomplished," you risked becoming stale. That forward-thinking mindset kept her driven and fearless in her comedy. She reached a point where she said, "F–k it! What are they going to do to me that they haven’t already done?" Despite her insecurities, she was supremely confident in her live performances. She knew she could walk into any room and leave everyone in awe. She was unstoppable!