Hollywood reacts to the passing of Joan Rivers

Following the sad passing of comedic legend Joan Rivers, Hollywood came out in force to pay their respects."A legend, a friend, a mentor, an icon, and wildly funny. One of a kind. RIP #JoanRivers" tweeted Kathy Griffin, a fellow comedian who is also known for her confessional and controversial humour. "Joan Rivers will always be a pioneer. She paved the way for a lot of comedians. I’m very sad she’s gone." tweeted Ellen DeGeneres, while E!'s Fashion Police twitter account, added: "We're very sad to share that Joan Rivers has passed away. Our hearts go out to her family."

Joan passed away on Thursday in the early afternoon. She was surrounded by friends and family, and in a statement her daughter Melissa said: "My mother’s greatest joy in life was to make people laugh. Although that is difficult to do right now,

Known for her catchphrase, "can we talk?", Joan was an actress, writer, producer, and TV host of the incredibly successful

Her co-host George Kotsiopoulous tweeted: "Rest in peace @Joan_Rivers.

Joan was a pioneer, with her confrontational, confessional, and often aggressive comedic style riling many but providing a pathway for other female stand-ups to emerge and go toe-to-toe with male comics.

Female comics who were influenced by her include Lena Dunham and Sarah Silverman, and both tweeted their condolences on Thursday, with Lena writing: "Watching Joan Rivers do standup at age 81 was incredible: athletic, jaw-dropping, terrifying, essential. It never stopped. Neither will she. "I told Maron I'd have a zinger when Joan died. But I didn't think she ever would. She felt eternal, and anyway, zingers are her territory. That being said,

Some celebrities also remembered warmly times when Joan had put her wit and sharp tongue to use as a host on Fashion Police. Pitch Perfect actress Anna Kendrick wrote: "RIP Joan Rivers.