Joan Rivers Posthumously Honored With Grammy Award

Joan Rivers was noted for getting the last word, and it seems even her untimely death hasn’t stopped Ms. Rivers from expressing her thoughts. In a final honor to the celebrity, Joan was honored with a Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album for her recording of her audio book, Diary Of A Mad Diva, according to New York Daily News.

On hand to accept the award for Joan was her daughter, Melissa Rivers.

“If my mother were here, she would not only be honored with this award, she would have it copied and on the air on QVC within the hour.”

Ms. Rivers faced some impressive competitors in order to triumph and earn this award. Also considered for the award were James Franco, Elizabeth Warren, John Waters, and former U.S. president Jimmy Carter.

“It’s a difficult moment, it’s a little bittersweet,” the younger Rivers later told her mother’s Fashion Police co-host Giuliana Rancion at the red carpet event.

“She was nominated once for a comedy album, didn’t win, now she goes and wins. but it’s wonderful how loved she was.”

The first nomination mentioned by Melissa Rivers was for Joan’s 1984 comedy album, entitled What Becomes a Semi-Legend Most? Joan Rivers won this award, unlike the 1984 nomination, and it was presented to her daughter during a pre-show ceremony at the 57th Grammy Awards, reports the Wrap.

Melissa Rivers is currently engaged in a lawsuit on her mother’s behalf, following Joan Rivers’ death during a throat procedure in September. Ms. Rivers’ death was ruled a “predictable complication of medical therapy” by the New York City Medical Examiner’s Office.

“OCME has completed its investigation. The cause of Ms. Rivers’ death is anoxic encephalopathy due to hypoxic arrest during laryngoscopy and upper gastrointestinal endoscopy with propofol sedation for evaluation of voice changes and gastroesophageal reflux disease. The manner of death is therapeutic complication… The classification of a death as a therapeutic complication means that the death resulted from a predictable complication of medical therapy.”

Diary Of A Mad Diva was Rivers’ twelfth and most successful book. The plot centers on a diary gifted to Joan by her daughter Melissa and, although the elder Rivers views the gift as an affront at first, she begins to appreciate the book and learns she has much to say — surprisingly.

The 57th Annual Grammy Awards aired on CBS on Sunday, February 8.

For a more detailed look into the lawsuit stemming from Joan Rivers’ death, refer to this Inquisitr article.