In a new interview with People magazine, Melissa describes the moment when her mother took her last breath, revealing that she crawled into her mother's bed at the very last moment.
- Apr 30, 2015
AceShowbiz - Melissa Rivers is remembering her mother Joan Rivers who died last year at the age of 81. Speaking to People magazine in a new interview, the actress details the moment when the late comedienne took her last breath.
After learning the bad news about her mother's condition, Melissa and her 14-year-old son Cooper flew from Los Angeles to New York to keep vigil on Joan's bedside at Mount Sinai Hospital. "I knew it wasn't good, but you have those moments of hope," she tells the magazine. "And you hang on to those."
"I was going, 'You've got to fight, Don't do this!' " she continues describing. "I was just making deals with her. And then at some point you realize, there's no fighting."
In the very last moments after the ventilator was turned off, Melissa climbed into her mother's hospital bed, holding her for the last time. "I believe she knew I was there," she says. "I was grateful to have had those few days to be able to let go a little bit. I tried to make the transition as peaceful and beautiful as she would want it to be."
Despite feeling distressed due to her mom's passing, Melissa is grateful as she believes Joan had lived her life to the fullest. "She had written in specifically that she was to be able to go onstage. For an hour. And be funny," Melissa shares.
She continues, "She wasn't going to be happy wheeled in to sit in the sun, you know? It was an amazing gift to give me, knowing exactly how she wanted her life to be. Not that it's ever an easy decision, but I knew I was making the right one."
If she could talk to her mother, Melissa would say, "I love you. I miss you. You have no idea how much you meant to Cooper. And we're okay. We're going to be okay."
