On Thursday, news broke that legendary comedienne, TV host, actress and writer, Joan Rivers passed away following complications from a minor throat procedure.

Her daughter Melissa confirmed the news and said that her mother died peacefully at 1:17 p.m. EST in New York City.

Rivers was a true pioneer of comedy and made people laugh for more than four decades.
She hosted Fashion Police on the E! network and starred in a reality series with her daughter and grandson titled Joan & Melissa: Joan Knows Best?, she also authored 12 books and was a jewelry designer.

Years before her Fashion Police gig and other projects, she was a guest host for Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show and hosted her own The Late Show Starring Joan Rivers in 1986. She was the only woman to ever host a late-night talk show until Chelsea Handler in 2007.

Let’s take a look back now at the Top 10 moments of the funny woman’s appearances in late night.

[new page = Sammy Davis Jr. Show]

10.Sammy Davis Jr. Show

In 1966, Rivers appeared alongside guest host Carson on The Sammy Davis Jr. Show. Although it was one of her first television appearances she drew tons of laughter from the crowd and it was clear then that she would have a long career in comedy.

[new page = The Late Show Starring Joan Rivers Debut]

9.The Late Show Starring Joan Rivers Debut
Rivers was offered her own late-night talk show which debuted on FOX in 1986. Her first guests to appear on the show were David Lee Roth, Pee Wee Herman, Elton John and Cher. The show only lasted one season and cost Rivers her friendship with Carson.

[new page = The Tonight Show 1982 monologue]

8.The Tonight Show 1982 monologue

In a 1982 monologue, while guest hosting The Tonight Show Rivers was side-splitting funny as she talked about a friend’s wedding and growing old among other things.

[new page = The Tonight Show 1984 monologue]

7. The Tonight Show 1984 monologue

With so many monologues to choose from when Rivers filled in for Carson we couldn’t choose just one. Here is another of her hysterical opening monologues on The Tonight Show.

[new page = Rivers jokes with Carson about her daughter’s first words]

6. Rivers jokes with Carson about her daughter’s first words
Back in 1972, a few years after giving birth to her daughter, Rivers joked with Carson that Melissa’s first words were “Shut Up.”

[new page = Rivers interviews Mister Rogers]

5. Rivers interviews Mister Rogers

Countless iconic guests appeared on The Tonight Show and Rivers was funny and witty with every one of them. In 1983, she had a memorable interview with everyone’s favorite neighbor, Mister Rogers.

[new page = Lucille Ball joins Rivers on The Tonight Show]

4. Lucille Ball joins Rivers on The Tonight Show
Another truly memorable late night moment with Rivers on The Tonight Show is when the one and only Lucille Ball stopped by. It was not the first time Ball visited the show, but it was certainly a treat for fans to have the two funny women together on the same set.

[new page = With Carson on The Tonight Show in 1986]

3. With Carson on The Tonight Show in 1986

The number three moment on our countdown was with Carson in 1986 on The Tonight Show. It would mark one of the last times Rivers was on the show before she accepted her own late-night spot and the two had their falling out. They were hilarious together and the segment was certainly memorable.

[new page = Appearance on The Late Show With David Letterman]

2. Appearance on The Late Show With David Letterman

Rivers kept joking throughout her entire career and as this 2014 clip showed, she never slowed with age and had David Letterman trying to contain himself.

[new page = Appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon]

1. Appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon

The No. 1 spot on our countdown is when Rivers appeared back where she started on The Tonight Show. This time she was a guest and Jimmy Fallon was the host. She joked about her days on the show with Carson and had Fallon, fellow guest Russell Crowe and audience members cracking up.