Melissa Rivers thinks about what she lost in the Los Angeles wildfires – none of it was her late mother Joan Rivers‘ Heirlooms.
“Fortunately, the jokes and key archival pieces were picked up for a national comedy center about two and a half, three months ago,” Melissa, 56, said People in an interview published on Sunday, January 19th.
Melissa noted that the filing cabinet contained over 65,000 of Joan’s original jokes from the beginning of her career in 1950 until her death in 2014. (Joan died at age 81 after suffering complications during outpatient neck surgery.)
Melissa added that Joan’s “good stuff,” meaning her jewelry, was in a safe deposit box in a bank vault. Joan’s wardrobe was auctioned off for charity.
Melissa, one of the tens of thousands of locals forced to evacuate Los Angeles due to the ongoing forest fires CNN On January 8, she grabbed Joan’s Emmy and a picture of her dad. Edgar Rosenbergbefore she left her home.
“This is the end of everything that belonged to my family and their history,” Melissa told the news organization at the time. “I grabbed my mom’s Emmy, a photo of my dad and a drawing my mom made of me and my son. … I chose a drawing of her rather than a photo. I know I can find the photos, but I can’t replace a drawing.”
In addition to the items she took with her before leaving home, Melissa also lost other memories of her parents.
“I had her robe and my dad’s robe,” she said People. “Everyone’s wondering, ‘What about her wardrobe?’ But I think I lost the only three of her things I had in my house because they reminded me so much of her.”
Melissa Rivers knows that “Fashion Police” was must-see television when her mother, Joan Rivers, was at the helm – but she doesn’t think it would work in today’s social climate. “(They) couldn’t do this anymore,” Melissa, 56, told Us Weekly exclusively while promoting the upcoming November event Dead Funny: A Living Tribute to Joan Rivers Benefiting (…).
Melissa explained that she and her fiancé, Steve MitchellHe lost “everything” and added: “When we say we lost everything, you can’t understand it until you see the video.” It’s not just my life, but also that of my son Cooper. We were both only children and now everything is just gone.”
Melissa, who gave birth to her 24-year-old son Cooper John Endicott In 2000, she said her life was wrapped up in three LL Bean boat bags. Melissa noted that she and her family are “doing as well as can be expected.”
“We’re all doing our best,” she said. “Cooper is made of the same tough stuff as me. And we all lean on each other and get through it.”
Now Melissa has found temporary housing and is putting her inherited sense of humor to good use as she and her family ponder what comes next. “It’s my superpower,” she said of laughing at the worst times, like Joan. “I am my parents’ daughter.”
Check those LAFD website for local forest fire warnings and Click here for resources on how to help those affected.
