Comedian Joan Rivers suffered a major health scare Thursday when she stopped breathing during a medical procedure in Manhattan — and was rushed by ambulance to a nearby hospital, sources said.
The 81-year-old E! fashion critic was at Yorkville Endoscopy on East 93rd street near Third Avenue when she went into “cardiac or respiratory arrest” at around 9:40 a.m., police sources said.
She was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital. Doctors there placed her in a medically-induced coma, according to Entertainment Tonight and other reports.
Daughter Melissa flew in from LA with her 13-year-old son, Cooper, to be by Joan’s side. She said her mom is “resting comfortably” and in a statement Thursday night thanked well-wishers for their support.
“I want to thank everyone for the overwhelming love and support for my mother,” she said. “She is resting comfortably and is with our family. We ask that you continue to keep her in your thoughts and prayers.”
The near-death experience came just hours after Rivers, during a Manhattan comedy show Wednesday night, joked about dying.
“She goes, ‘I’m 81. I could go over at any minute!’ ” said fan Shade Rupe, who was seated down front, just feet from Rivers.
“She pointed to the floor and said, ‘I could go right there. And all of you would say, ‘I was there for that!’ ” Rupe said.
He added, “But, really, she is not a little biddy — she’s an energetic, high-class entertainer . . . She was so alive and wonderful,” he said of the show, at the Laurie Beechman Theatre on West 42nd Street.
On Thursday, diehard fans flocked to Mount Sinai to show support for the zinger-flinging comic.
“I’m a fan, I love her . . . I wanted to come. She’ll pull through this; she’s tough. She’s a tough Jewish lady. I wouldn’t want to lose her,” said Frank Rosado, 55, of The Bronx.
He added, “She’s a great talent. She’s a comedic legend. She’s been through a lot. She was blacklisted by NBC and she kept going. That’s an inspiration to anybody. I just hope for the best.”
He added, “If she makes it, though, she should slow down.”
Earlier, a hospital representative also conveyed the Rivers clan’s gratitude for her fans.
“Her family wants to thank everybody for their outpouring of love,” said Mount Sinai spokesman Sid Dinsay, a spokesman for Mount Sinai, said in a statement .
Rivers is the host of the E! celebrity fashion show “Fashion Police” and is widely known for starring in the reality series “Joan & Melissa: Joan Knows Best.”
She had a stressful week with “Fashion Police” appearances at the Video Music Awards and the Emmys back to back.
Rivers first hit the TV scene in 1965 as as a spunky guest on “The Tonight Show” with Johnny Carson.
—Additional reporting by Larry Celona and Jennifer Bain