Questions Remain in Joan Rivers’ Death
Although Joan Rivers passed away on September 4th, details surrounding her death are still unfolding. According to the Guardian Liberty Voice of Las Vegas, Rivers was undergoing endoscopic surgery at a clinic in New York when her respiratory system became compromised. She was then rushed into the emergency room where she fell into a coma and placed on life support. Shortly thereafter, her daughter Melissa authorized medical staff to discontinue life support. New York health officials are continuing to investigate the clinic where Rivers’ final surgical procedure occurred.
“It is very likely that Melissa Rivers was following the wish of her mother when she took her off life support . . . In New York, relatives cannot make end of life decisions automatically. An advance directive must be in place and proper procedure must be followed prior to execution. In this case, we can assume that Rivers had planned ahead.”
Rivers was outspoken about aging, death and estate taxation. She once said that show business had hardened her to the point that she was not afraid of dying. Thus, it is fair to say that Joan Rivers was not shy when it came to estate planning. While her death may have come as a shock to fans, it was something that Rivers was ready to face, and planned in advance.
See UltraTrust.com Exposes Postmortem Why Joan Rivers Joked About Her Estate Plan and Paying Taxes—Now Estimated at $45M, Insurance News Net, Sept. 18, 2014.
Special thanks to Jim Hillhouse (Professional Legal Marketing (PLM, Inc.)) for bringing this article to my attention.