Joan Rivers Commemorated by Female Peers

Can we talk? Joan Rivers, the First Lady of the Red Carpet and first ever female host of a late night show, died Thursday. The 81-year-old comic and pop culture icon leaves behind a crass but inimitable legacy.

Since making her first appearance on “The Ed Sullivan Show’’ in 1967, Rivers has opened the door for countless other female comics. At a time when it was rare to see a woman performing stand-up, she was making audiences laugh just as hard as her male peers. During her more than 50 years in the spotlight, she penned a dozen books, appeared on stage, television and films and single-handedly coined the phrase “Who are you wearing?’’

In the wake of her passing, check out which comediennes and actresses have paid their respects to Rivers: a pioneer who changed the face and sex of comedy.

Kathy Griffin

In an LA Times Obituary, similarly crude comedian Kathy Griffin, wrote, “Stand-up is harder than rocket science. That’s why Joan’s legacy as a groundbreaking comedian deserves a spotlight beyond her current status as a reliably outrageous TMZ fixture, reality-show star and queen of the red carpet, which, let’s be honest, she invented.’’

Wanda Sykes

Sykes, who began her career in stand-up, tweeted Thursday, “We have lost a true legend. Thank you Joan for paving the way for broads like me. Sending love and prayers to @MelRivers and her family.’’

Sarah Silverman

Silverman expressed the thoughts of many when she tweeted, “My heart is torn in half…She was 81 and she was taken too soon.’’

Roseanne Barr

The “Domestic Goddess’’ shared her title when she tweeted, “RIP GODDESS: Hail Hail, a GENIUS has vacated this realm: Joan Rivers has died.’’

Lena Dunham

Dunham, a voice of a generation who may only know Rivers because of her Red Carpet coverage, barbed, “Joan is gone but a piece of her lives on: her nose, because it’s made of polyurethane.’’

Ellen DeGeneres

Tweeting a photo from her 999th show, Degeneres said, “Joan Rivers will always be a pioneer. She paved the way for a lot of comedians. I’m very sad she’s gone.’’

Sandra Bernhard

Bernhard, a regular of the stand-up circuit, recognized Rivers’s legacy in a tweet, “Terribly sad news about Joan I watched her back in Bev hills at the ye little club where I started out she was one of the greats.’’

Rachel Dratch

Saturday Night Live alum, Rachel Dratch urged her Twitter followers to explore Rivers’ career, “If you are young and only know her from “Fashion Police,’’ watch the doc “A Piece of Work’’ to see what a true pioneer she was!’’

Julie Klausner

In an obituary published to Vulture, Klausner, comedy-writer and performer, said, “She was always there, like Santa Claus or the New York Post, or the sun or the moon. The fact that she was 81 when she died seems irrelevant, even insulting to mention. Joan was ageless. She went out buzzing.’’

Have a memory of Joan? Share it in the comments below.