Joan Rivers hospitalised: Melissa Rivers thanks public for 'outpouring of support' as she provides update

Speaking to NBC Nightly News, Melissa that her mother was now 'resting comfortably' after she suffered a heart attack

Melissa and Joan Rivers together at an NBC event in May 2014

Melissa Rivers, the actress daughter of caustic comedienne Joan Rivers, has thanked fans for their messages of support after her mother was hospitalised in a critical condition yesterday (28 August).

Joan, 81, was rushed to the Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City yesterday (28 August) when she suddenly stopped breathing during a routine operation to fix her vocal chords.

Speaking to NBC Nightly News, Melissa said in a statement that her mother was now "resting comfortably" after she suffered a heart attack.

Melissa and her 13-year-old son flew into NY to be at her mother’s bedside upon hearing the news.

"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."

Reports now claim that Joan’s condition has since been labelled as "stable", though this is yet to have been confirmed officially.

A spokesperson from Mount Sinai Hospital, Sid Dinsay, added: "This morning, Joan Rivers was taken to the Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, where she is being attended to.

"Her family wants to thank everybody for their outpouring of love and support. We will provide an update on her condition as it becomes available."

Joan Rivers found herself again in the centre of controversy after a series of "insensitive" comments she made regarding the conflict between Israel and Gaza.

Approached by a TMZ reporter earlier this month, who quizzed Joan over her support of Israel’s military offensive by mentioning that over 2,000 Palestinians, many of which were civilians, had perished since the IDF campaign started, she raised her hands in feign shock and said: "Oh my God! Tell that to the people in Hiroshima.

"They were told to get out. They didn’t get out. You don’t get out, you are an idiot. At least the ones that were killed were the ones with low IQs."

She went onto describe Gaza’s Hamas government as "terrorists".

"They were re-elected by a lot of very stupid people who don’t even own a pencil," she said.