ago in fact overíí the last minute, and it read from her daughter: it is with great sadness i announce the death of my mother joan rivers. she died surrounded by family and close friends. my son and i would like to thank the doctors and nurses nurses af at the hospital for their amazing care. cooper and i are hum belowed by the outpouring of love, support, and prayers we have received from around the world. we have been -- they have been heard and appreciated. my mother's greatest joy in life was to make people laugh. although it is rick to do right now, know her final wish would be that we return to laughing soon. that message from a short time ago. from melissa rivers, the daughter of the great joan rivers. of course, mel dub joan rivers had been sick and in the hospital for quite some time.t!ñ she was having a throat surgery

recently, do during the throat surgeryíi there were extreme complications. over the next days she was in intensive care, there was word she was in a coma, she was on life support, and then yesterday we got word the family had moved joan rivers to a private room where she could, quote, rest comfortably. we don't know if she was taken off life support. at least we don't at this moment. we do know that was the last move for joan rivers and she had been her friends and family since, and now word from her daughter, mel lisa, an -- melissa, that at the age of 80, joan rivers died. >> all my jokes over the last 30 years. why should a woman cook so her delicious cake to some hook center. >> the daughter of russiansa immigrants, born in brooklyn new york in 1933. she worked odd jobs before changing her name to rivers and

breaking into comedy in the early '60s. >> welcome joan rivers. >> first gained national attention in 1965 when she appeared on "the tonight show. " with johnny carson. he told her she would be a star. her career and life had a number on setbacks. she helped launch the foxi! network in 1986 when the late-night talk show, something carson considered a betrayal. they never spoke again. the show only lasted two seasons. a month later edgar, he are her husband and producuop committed suicide. >> now, for a change of pace -- >> in 1989 she returned to daytime tv with the joan rivers show which earned her an emmy and. >> i am a grandmother, hard to believe. pick a finger. >> she never stopped doing standup and making headlines for her controversial comments about

celebrating, frequently joking about her own love of cosmetic surgery. >> i am in love with it. >> she launched a popular jewelry and clothing line and started in several cable shows with her daughter. >> my mother used to buy bathing suits with blow holes in them. >> joan rivers will always be remembered as a comic legend. she set the starred nor female comedians and made fans landfill for over half a century. >> 40 years in the business, and this is where you end up. i. >> fox news.֍ >> joan rivers. it sounds as if to hear it from the family, the end was a very difficult one. trace gallagher is in our los angeles news room, our west coast news hub. the recent days have been tough and sounded as if the end was year yesterday, and sure enough. >> i would say going back three or four days we knew it was bad

because when melissa rivers would release the statement saying her mother was on life support there were no doctor comments. the hospital didn't give any press conferences. the kept saying they were keeping her comfortable and the family was surrounding her and she was on life support and they were considering a few days ago, considering taking heir off life support, and the idea was to bring her out of the medically induced coma and see if she could survive on her own. then late yesterday we heard my mom has beenwq taken to a privae room now, mentioned nothing about life support, just she was in a private room and they were keeping her comfortable. we called a couple of doctors and found out that's pretty much code for, that there may not be brain activity. that was the worry, because her heart stopped. she was in the outpatient facility. her heart stopped, and she stopped breathing. the question when she got in and was put on life support, was how long did she stop breathing? because doctors will tell you

that what happens is the brain swells, and when the brain swells the brain cells die and that's the reason they put you in the medically induced coma to lower the swelling and if they can successfully lower the swelling, they can try and get as much brain activity as possible, but while she was in that medically induced coma, they were doing brain scans but didn't release any of that information to any of us, nor did her daughter, melissa rivers. so by the end of the day yesterday, we had a very good indication that things were not going the way thery family had planned. she was in a private room, which meant she may have been taken off life support, and at that point, it was simply a matter of time. >> trace, we do know that she was in manhattan's upper east side in a neighborhood locals call yorkville, at a clinic called yorkville endoscopy. they moved her tintinesssive care into a private room on

wednesday so just yesterday, and the health department here, the state hasn't depth has launched the investigation into the clinic. we have word on a funeral planned for sunday at temple emanuel, and a quote from the rabbi there, it's a terribly sad day for us. we mourn with her family, friends, and all those millions to whom she brought laughter and joy. that's from rabbi joshua davidson, through the facilities of the "new york post," owned by the parent company of our network. joan river a pioneeri3+ wise-cracker whose wit and an ticks reached across several generations. she'll forever be linked to the tonight show. johnny carson, who gave her, her first big break. carson mentored her through her early years and stardom, and joan rivers became a trail blast blazer. earning her stripes on the stage, poking fun at celebrities from russell crowe to kanye

west. she said i have no regret for any joke i've ever done. i got a lot of flak for a joke i made about heidi klum and the nazises and she said, but i never paulized for it. i said justin bieber looked like a little lesbian, and i stand be it. had. she also said, you can tune me out. that's okay. i'm not going to bow to political correctness bump if you want to be a soot tirist, you can't be part of the party, meaning you can't go horseback riding about jack i oh if you're going to have dinner with her that night. but no one got a harsher joan rivers treatment than joan rivers herself. another quote, the only thrill in my sex life61 now is when i

lean up against the blender. more recently joan rivers joked about her penchant for plastic sugar saying my face has been tucked in more times than the bed sheet at the holiday inn. shecorned the phrase company can we talk." all what i just read from the "new york post." the accolades will be pouring in, and so will questions about what happened at yorkville endoscopy over the past week. >> we started hearing just yesterday, shep, they were talking about possible lawsuits against that outpatient facility because, remember, joan rivers, 81 years old. the question everyone kept asking is why in the world was she at an outpatient facility and did she undergo anesthesia. did she use propofol. we know that from the michael jackson death. and did that play a part in this? remember, this was an outpatient facility that had no emergency

system in place, no emergencyzda facilities, so when joan rivers stopped breathing, when her heart stopped they had to call 9-1-1 and the ambulance had to pick her up and bring her to mt. sinai hospital and the timing was everything. the doctor toldes when you're talking about"z these type of injuries, seconds matter, and age also matters; so, 81 years old. when you stop breathing and your heart stops you put the combination together, it's very bad. so the original question keeps coming up, why was she at this outpatient facility, even though it was supposed to be this routine surgery on her vocal chords. why was she not in a hospitale if something happened they could immediately take care of her, and that's what friends and families and relatives are asking and that's while the prospect of a lawsuit was raised yesterday. we haven't heard that is the case, but they were certainly raising the possibility. >> indeed,u trace. the "associated press" has just come out with a short version of

an obituary. a longer version will come along later. we have a lot of news we're covering. for those just tuning in, joan rivers died. we have a verdict in the book mcdonald trial in northern virginia, and we'll get to that the moment it's read. first, from the obama, joan rivers, the acid-tongue comedian who crashed the male dominated ded realm of late night talk shows and turned red carpets into danger zorns for celebrities, died today at 81. rivers was hospitalized last week after she went into cardiac arrest. as we talked, she opened her routine with the trademark, can we talk, and never mellowed during a decades-long career. she moved from targets such as elizabeth taylor, whom she red called as face to new faces and continued to appear in clubs through her 81st year with us. joan rivers,silenced, on the

upper east side of manhattan. there will be much said by ones who nor more than i in the hours to come about her life and all that she has accomplished. trace gallagher, my guess is after a lookback over all she accomplished, the trails she blazed for women -- certainly she had her critics -- she is not one who, let's say, parents in north mississippi would let their kids listen to because when the obama press says ash asid-tongue it, that's an point. she blazed trails in the industry like no one else you can think of. >> you go back to 1965, she was part of the candid camera crew. joan rivers kind of made her bones on that front, us)iuz television and live television. she was so good at that. and remember in in the 1970s, the early '80s, she was the

replacement for johnny carson. when he was out every monday, as he took off, it was joan rivers who was his replacement, and she was the heir apparent. and they had a falling out. joan rivers got her own late-night talk show on fox, and apparently never told johnny carson she got the show, and he was very hurt by that, and they never spoke again. and she wasn't even invited on johnny carson's short-but i'll take it a step further. she wasn't inevited when conan o'brien got the show or jay leno got the show. she made her first appearance on "the tonight show" in some 30 years just recently with the new host. that was the first time that joan rivers actually brought back into the fold. so, yeah, she blazed many trails for women, especially comedic ones. >> she did. trace, thank you. there is breaking news now on fox news channel. this just in from the u.s. appeals court, which has just ruled gay marriage bans in

wisconsin and indiana are unconstitutional. that in, in the last few second, from u.s.a. appeals court. we now have word the governor -- former governor of the state of virginia, bob mcdonald, jury has reached a verdict on 14 different counts givens governor mcdonald and members of his family on charges that include $150,000 in bribes, extortion charges and all the rest. at trial that went on for quite some time. 67 witnesses called, and in just a matter ofw; seconds, we belie, we'll learn what the verdict is against the former republican virginia governor, bob mcdonald, first, looking back on the life of joan rivers. as columnist liz smith is on the line with us. liz, it's nice to talk to you, sadly under these circumstances. i don't know where you begin in praising joan rivers for all she has done for feñ5yr comedians. >> your said it. she was very misunderstood by a

lot of people who didn't understand her extremes like they didn't understand lenny bruce, and i'll just tell one story about her. you know, she had a real heydayy attacking elizabeth taylor when she got so fat, and years later, not too many years later, she was divorced from john warner, and going out with george hamilton, and i went to a dinner at joan's and her husband, edgar's, in bel-air, and who should ring the bell but george hamilton, who was bringing elizabeth taylor to dinner. and joan was the picture of charm. but she was really staggered by having elizabeth taylor there. and elizabeth thought it was funny. >> i know the two of you were

friendly and talked over the years. liz, in recent years, she has taken shots at some of the biggest celebrities of the youngest generation. attack on so many people, and it's horribly funny. she was just irrepressible. even after edgar died, and she went on a cruise with some friends, and they said she referred to herself on the cruise as the merry widow. she -- you know, would make fun of herself. she made fun of herself about having facelifts and getting fat, and getting old. >> they've always said, if you dish it out, you have to be able to take it. it seems to me dish can't think of a better example of someone

wonder if at some point there came a time when the relentless poundings that happened against her from all corners of the comedic universe -- if that ever weighed on her or she realized that was part of it. >> i don't know because she was a -- in private a very kind of genteel lady-like. she was a thoughtful, sweet person, and i think she never really got over johnny carson. turning against her. so, she could kind of hold a grudge. but she used it all to her own example. and her own -- she grew so much in the last five years, grew so much more famous. now, how many people 80 can do that? >> not many that i can think of. she was as quick as anybody of

that age i know. you mentioned her late husband, edgar. she was hosting a fox talk show at the time, the talksl show had failed. this was -- it was 1987 her husband, edgar, killed himself. she said she show's failure was a major factor, according to joan rivers in her own husband's suicide, and that was a suicide that for a few years derailed her career, but she came back -- how did she do that? >> i think she was just determined to survive edgar, and i think she was -- i felt at the time she was kind of mad at him for doing that. i think her career really took off when she just took it over herself. and she took over making her daughter into a star. shekz insisted she had the carer

that she has. >> at the time she said to the "new york times" nobody wants to see someone whose husband killed himself four weeks later. so sounds like she took a little time off and got right back to it. as melissa rivers has said today in announcing her passing, there was nothing in the world that made her happy like making people laugh. >> yes. well, she did take time off after edgar. she went on this cruise with a lot of her wonderful gay friends, male friends. she was just friends with everybody, except, i think she couldn't forgive johnny carson. >> talk a little bit about that. johnny carson gave her her break, was the first to put her on national television. she really made her name from there. and then at some point, johnny again. >> well, i always thought she was just too successful for him.

he didn't really like women in business all that much. he was nothing like joan. he had nothing like joan's private person to fall back on. i think he was lonely and neurotic and bitter. i didn't really know him. >> after johnny carson left the air, no one ever really saw him publicly again. he had promised us all we wouldn't, and sure enough we didn't. as joan rivers met trouble throughout her life she always came right back, and in many ways served as !ij example, and as an example, liz, it was last year that older sister died, and she is quoted as saying the following: the trouble with me is i make jokes too often. this was days after the death of the sister, and said i was making jokes at the funeral home. that's how i get through life. life is so difficult.

everybody has been through something but you laugh at it and it becomes smaller. you'll make a joke and it will be -- just right off the cusp of someone dying or something bad happening, and someone will say, too soon? for joan rivers she seemed to begin the process of making too soon go away? >> well, she used adversity to hone her own acts and feelings and to sub5÷limate them in humo. she became a big star. in the last five years. i was amazed with her that night in her own home when she opens the door and elizabeth taylor is there, and she has been referring to elizabeth taylor as a whale and all these things,

and she was just charming. and elizabeth was charming. >> liz smith, it's such a pleasure to talk to you again, i'm sorry under these circumstances. thank you for the memories. >> i'm glad to talk to you. >> the great liz smith with us, and again, thank you in the early '60s with the help of the "associated press," comedy was a man's game. a man's game only. and it was 1965. this%7wf guy was just one year old when joan rivers finally got a shot "the tonight show" johnny carson had a quote for- her and he said to her, on national television, live at 11:30 at night on the east coast, god, you're funny. you're going to be a star. and that is exactly what he said to her after her first time. nobody understood who works and doesn't work better than johnny carson. think of the careers he has launched. this career lasted since she has been -- shin was on johnny

carson in 196 5 she has been on television almost without interruption for 49 years. and you know the truth is, she didn't even start out wanting to be an actress. that wasn't her game at all -- i mean being a comedian. she wanted to be an actress. she entered show business with that dream but comedy was paying the bills so while she is auditioning for big roles and leads, she said to -- she was quoted as saying one time to the "associated press," somebody said you can make six dollars standing up at a club, and i said, here i go. it was better than day. there's a lot said in that sentence. think of the year, 1965. we're in the middle of horrifying war, there are a lot of troubles, and women don't have a lot of chances. and joan rivers was looking for a chance. and she made it in a career for which she wasn't even looking. this was her side job to pay her

bill while she tried to get dramatic roles and instead, boom, trip on to johnny carson. that picking up six dollars a night in comedy clubs while auditioning and then johnny carson would tell the world she was funny. her nightclub career prospered and by late in 1965 she recorded he first comedy album called "joan rivers presents mr. phyllis and other funny stories." she met the british producer about whom we woke who would commitside and they married after a four-day courtship. joan rivers met her husband and five days later they got married. she hosted a morning talk show on nbc in 1968, and the next year she made her las vegas debut with female comedians. that was still a relative

rarity. in 1968. thereyzirñ were still rarely fes leading anything. especially not in the comedy world. but joan rivers did. she broughtxz other women to her side. and she took her act to las vegas and beyond and had a quote in 1977 to "the los angeles times": to control an audience is a very mass -- masculine thing. they totally springstrip away your femininity. which isn't the so. katherine the great had a great time. next year she wrote and directed in the movie "rabbit test." billy crystal was a man who got pregnant, but was poorly received in 1983 she scored a coup when she was named permanent guest host for carson on "the tonight show." think of that. no woman had led in that way. no woman had ever taken to

johnny carson gave her a shot and then made her the3 full-time fillin, and johnny carson was one to take time off so we saw a lot of openrivers. -- joan rivers. she drew good ratings but they didn't renew her contract, and a fledgling network called fox upped in with an offer with "the lat show starring joan rivers." but it lasted just one season, and then her husband committed suicide on the back of that, and at the time joan rivers said the weight of the failure weighed heavily on him. she was mad at him, said liz smith, for killing himself, but joan rivers believed and said at the time that she believed that was a factor in his suicide. johnny carson said, there are lot of big confrontations this week as the audience giggled, reagan and gorbachev, bets and

astros and me versus the hoonymooner's lost episodeses. her show was gone a year later and declared she had been raped by fox. three months later he her husband was found dead. took two years to get her career going again but she did not stop until she died. she didn't stop until she went into a hospital a week ago. joan rivers never stopped. she appeared in clubs and on tv shows, including "the hollywood squares." who can forget joan rivers in the center square. she appeared on broadway and released more comedy albums and books, most recently "diary of a mad diva." she once joke thread was not one female comic who was beautiful as a little girl. she was born joan molinski in brooklyn to russian immigrants, doctor and his wife. she had a privileged upbringing but struggled with weight. she was a self-proclaimed fatty as a child. she recalled using make-believe

as an escape, and after graduating from barnard college in 195 4 she worked as a department store fashion cord nateor and then turned to a comedy club. it is a long,e2 astounding, trail-blazing career. not say she did not have her detractors. if you do not want to hear a vulgar word from time to time, you probably weren't a fan bushes when you get past that and realize the trail shed blazed, joan rivers will go down in history as a pioneering woman of her time, and in our country. our senior correspond rick leventhal with us now on the death of joan rivers. >> mt. sinai where her daughter says she hassed has not released a statement. they don'tñc have a news conference planned. they not confirming joan rivers died but her daughter has. her mother passed peacefully at 1:17 this afternoon surround by

family and close friends and thanked the staff at mt. sinai hospital for the care they provided her mother. you mentioned the tough year she had in 1987 when she lost her show on fox and her husband committed side suicide. she said she considered suicide. she was sitting in a chair with a gun on her lap, and the said that her dog jumped into her lap and she thought no one will take care of him, and that is why she decided to spare her own life and not kill herself. she said schleck toured on suicide because6l1w things turn around. she tells people this is a dark moment but it will change and you must know it's going to change and you push forward. she said i look back and think, it changes. >> rick leventhal, thank you there is breaking news now on fox news channel, just in to us here at the fox news deck. the former virginia governor, bob mcdonald, found guilty on

11 counts, all corruption counts. his wife, maureen mcdonald, found guilty on 11 corruption counts and obstruction of justice. both were acquitted of lying on loan documents. the couple was charged in a 14-count indictment with doing -- giving special favors to a man named bobby williams, the ceo of a dietary supplement maker, in exchange for more than $165,000 in gift and loans. the defense tried to convince the jury the couple couldn't have conspired because they were barely speaking, that their marriage was on the1y rocks, but the prosecution came out with details and notes and specifics. here were the allegations against bob mcdonald, he wife, maureen, regarding gifts and the family. for maureen, his wildfire, 50 -- his wife, $50,000 loan, an

ingaved rolex, 6,000 does. a shopping trip to new york city for maureen mcdonald which included: $11,000 in clothes, a thousand shopping spree at vuitton.x a $2,500 shopping spree. for the couple, as a couple, trip to cape cod, which included golf, yachts, dinner, day at the spa valued at $7,400. for been mcdonald, dinner for two in february of 2012 for two people for $1,420. a flying to the final four in houston. and yard and $7,000 of loans. the list goes on. right now, the u.s. attorney is speaking live on what just happened in the district in northern virginia. listen. >> public officials turned to financial gain in exchange for official acts, we have no choice but to prosecute the case. i want to thank the trial team

in this case that you all saw they were tremendous. mike dry,/q jessica abeer, david harbaugh and our parra legal -- paralegal, laura taylor, and the attorney general, leslie caldwell from the criminal division and the public integrity section who are partners, and finally i'd like to thank the men and women of investigation, virginia state police, and the internal revenue service. they were our partner in every respect in this case. and although y'all saw the trial, the painstaking preparation and investigation was really remarkable. thank you now, special agent will stay a few things. >> i want to echo what was just said. this was challenging case for our team. this is a challenging case for the commonwealth, and i want to thank the united states

attorney's office for their expertise and professionalism. i wavv to thank the irs and the virginia state police for their partnership, and i think this case sends an important message. the fbi will engage and engage vigorously to any credible allegation of corruption. public corruption is the fbi's tough criminal investigative priority, and cases like this are extremely important to our agency and to the community. so, with that i want to thank my team, who has worked tirelessly on this case, and, again, dana and his team. with that, thank you. >> sir, what would you say was the conspiracy, the way you all were able to connect the dot that sealed the deal for you. >> we're not going to take any questions. we can't add much to what was said in court, and going forward

we'll speak with the papers we file. thank you. it's beeh; a long five weeks. i'm sure you're anxious to get home. thank you. >> it has been an astounding fall for the former governor, republican governor, bob mcdonnell of the state of virginia. he was a rising star in the party to put it mildly. there will whispers about him about contender for higher office. he insisted we were barely speaking. none of this is possible. what the prosecution was able to prove to the satisfaction of the jury was that there was a -- there were gifts that were given to him in exchange for something that you cannot give away, and that something was the prestige of the office of the governor of the state of virginia. that they -- that governor mcdonnell gave away something that was not his. the prestige of the office of governor of the commonwealth was not his to give. and he got $165,000 worth of

loans and trips and private jets and yachts and shopping sprees in new york, and a half dozen golf outings, and $1,500 dinners for two, and he did so in exchange for promoting this product for this man, who was from richmond, virginia, who got this preferential treatment and the restige of the governor's office in exchange for what bob mcdonnell and his family got. now what happens? our contributor and fox news legal analyst arthur aidala is with us. >> his going -- anytime you are convictedded of something like this and this nature and the fact he is a governor i going to hurt him, not help him. this truly is a victory for the[ government because what did not happen at this trial, which typically happens when there's a cooperator, is the cooperator, johnny williams, did not -- he

never closed the loop. he never testified and said, yes, there was an arrangement between us. he just made it seem like was implied. i gave them lots of things, and in return, got to say that it was buddies with the governor and what he ultimately wanted was he wanted a state-funded test to test out one of his products, and he never got the test. that's what the defense was hanging their hat on. they're saying the government is saying he gave them the gifts to get something but he never got that. but what he did get is what you just said. he got to say, when he went into all these other meetings, either in virginia or anyone else, i'm the governor's pal, and take good care of me because we're best friends. >> he had focused his attention on the state's justice system0ln 2005. he ran for state attorney general, and it was a close race against -- he stepped down from that job to go and run for

governor. at the time he worked on happenner penalties for criminals, and i just wonder if that will weigh more heavily on him as a public servant who fought in essence against what a jury appears has just ruled he did. >> i think a judge will 100% take that into account. i believe the sentencing isn't going to be until the beginning of the following(pañ year, and e will be like thick binders submitsed to the court begging for leniency, asking the court to balance the good things he has done in this capacity as a public servant, based -- countering this. what they're going to say is no one got hurt here. he didn't -- no one lost their life. no one lost their job. he was just giving away influence, and he got money for giving away influence, and, don't send this good public servant away for life or decades or years and give him a lighter sentence. this is a guy who was thinking about running for president of the united states.

>> there's no question he was lobbying for a vice-presidential seat when mitt romney ram and it didn't come to that. further you mention johnny williams. he got a big to-do and reception the governor's mansion, which weighed heavily this trial. >> which is what started the thing off. my understanding is the chef who was involved in catering events at the governor's mansion was the one who eventually went to the fbi and said you to the this guy just paid for the wedding of the -- the catering for the wedding of the governor's child and that is what apparently was the crack that -- the door cracked open based on the chef, who i don't believe ever testified at the trial. at this point this governor's head is spinning out of control. i don't know whether -- no talk about whether they asked for bail. usually when someone is convicted of somethingxo they'e facing years and years years ans bail.fe for, the government i guess because of whom he is and how hard it would be to disappear they did not ask for

bail. >> one point we're making, he was not a big deal in virginia and washington metropolitan area politics. he was a big deal in united states politics. the former head of the republican governors association. he is the first governor in the history of the state of virginia -- or commonwealth -- ever to be convicted of any crime. and he could well spend many decades in prison. you may not have been hearing a lot of about this in your local newspapers. may not have dominated the time on air, but in washington, dc k-been above the fold every day. 67 witnesses. the details splattered across the "washington post" and local washington television stations for weeks on end. this has been an enormous trial in northern virginia and metropolitan washington. molly has been watching from the beginning. let's listen before we go to

mollie. [inaudible] >> an example of what an enormous media spectacle this has been. just that wide shot as tomorrower governor mcdonnell walked out of the courthouse a convicted man. tells us a lot about how closely this has been followed, and certainly life just changed forever and ever for bob mcdonnell. >> forever and ever, and i want to bring up two points that was perhaps the key in this decision by the jury. first of all the judge allowed

the jury to use a very broad definition about what is an official act by someone like a governor. the defense wanted to keep a very narrow definition of about what an official act is is. the judge allowed a broader definition. apparently, the defense's claim that the mcdonnell's major was so broken apart they weren't speaking and couldn't have conspired. the jury did not believe that, apparently. the jury did not believe that maureen mcdonnell had a crush on johnny williams. and she wasn't trying to get him undo influence. just wanted his attention. the jury apparently did not believe that. what the jury did believe, based on what we heard today, in their decision, is that the mcdonnells were aware of what they were doing and giving something other than what would be usual discussions with a

businessman, virginia businessman, were giving him more access, some sort of quid pro quo for all these $165,000 in loans and gifts and presentsmx to the mcdonnell family. >> arthur, all of these are matters for appeal. >> 100% there will be appeal, especially on the part of how the jury was charged. that's the most common area of appeal. the rules the jurors are given and they were given wide latitude to go against the defendant and the defense will say that was an improper charge and should have been a narrow ruling what is official or nonofficial capacity. but the success rate is 15% in these types of appeals. >> the charges were conspiracy, bribery, extortion and more. the former republican governor of the state of virginia, bob mcdonnell, convicted on some of the counts. we'll have comprehensive coverage tonight, 6:00 eastern, 5:00 central, on special report reports.

returning to the other matter of breaking news, legendary comedian joan rivers died this afternoon, according to her daughter, mel lisa, 1:17 p.m. eastern daylight time, surrounded by friends and family '. she had been moved from a private room from intensive care, where the word was she had after a routine procedure turned to a horrible nightmare for her family. qudsing -- according to her daughter, joan rivers died this afternoon. larry king is on the line with us, former host on cnn and now all over thevl"á place and stil kicking. larry, it's unbelievable a life like this could end in this way. >> so sad, shepard. i've known her for 45 years. and i've been at her home. i just saw her a couple of weeks ago at a restaurant here in l.a., at craig's, and she was bouncing on tables and hopping around. she never acted her age or looked her age.

she was very, veryib funny, a great mother and a great-grandmother and very close to hergji family, and a great w business person. as i said i don't -- we'll never see her likes again, and i never took -- you should never have been hurt by anything joan rivers said because she took no prisoners, shepard. the world was her oyster, and she devoured it, and she led such a long life, and a great tragedy in the suicide of her husband, edgar, which she took very badly. the only time i ever saw her angry wassed gar killing himself. but she was a glorious woman. >> i was talking to liz smith about joan rivers, and she said that when johnny carson ended the relationship, that it was very difficult thing for her, but that joan rivers was able to recovery from -- recoverñs from

that because joan rivers had a person inside her that johnny carson did!/4x not. how difficult was that time for her? >> here's what the tragedy was -- tragedy may be large word -- joan appears many times with johnny carson and subbed for him men tames, and he adored her6l1w and regarded him as her mentor. when she took the job at fox he took that personally. wouldn't take a call from her, never spoke to her again the rest of his life. she took that hard because she thought that he should have wanted her to be a success, and that she didn't regard she would be a great competitor of his, that "the tonight show" was such a locked in thing andbí fox was new at the late-make it game. johnny felt she owed him a call before the signed the contract. what would he have said if she said i got this big break. would you say i shouldn't take it? of course he would have said yes

but there are these or two people on opposite sides of the spectrum here. one saying he should be so happy i got this job, and he saying, why didn't she call me first? they never spoke again. >> you mentioned the fox program. that program came and went in the year 1986. and joan said at the time that she believed the suicide of her husband, edgar, would rest in large part, at least, on the failure of the program, that he took it so hard he didn't feel like he could go on. that's what she said. >> she felt that in part. you never know what is in a suicide person's mind. i don't know if edgar ever left a note. shenv told me she never forgave edgar. i don't know how -- after suicide, two great thoughts on it, is it guts or chicken? , i think it's guts. she thinks he escaped from life, and he deserted his daughter and his wife and for reasons she

had -- she blamed it on the breakup of the fox show. i doubt that man would kill -- personally doubt man would kill himself over the loss of a television show when you have a wife who is very funny and you're a successful producer and you have a beautiful daughter. that never jibed with me but that's what joan -- it happened around the same time see so she took that as the reason. >> larry, at the time she had been on television, thanks in large part to johnny carson, for more than 20 years. she started a program of her own, it okay. and went and failed -- it came and went in and failed quickly. her husband killed himself. she stepped out of the limelight and went on a cruise andev then did something nobody thought would be possible, and it's hard to imagine, she re-created herself, and then spent 30 you're years on television recreating herself every fee years. >> she did. she used plastic surgery, everything at her disposal.

but hiss a trooper, a good word to describe here, a trouper. she came back from depth of sadness, come right back, went into attack mode and she was very funny, and as i spared no one, so you can not get angry at her. she was caustic. she was great at roasts. they roasted her. she was extraordinary, and you're right, she had two lives and lived them both and lived right to 81 years old. she was a terrific mother, great, great grandmother to her grandson, named edgar by the way. i'll miss her. >> a lot of comedians reach a certain age and appeal to people of that age group and maybe the generation before. betty white an exception to that rule. i think joan rivers maybe even a more notable one. joan rivers didn't continue to pick at, if you will, or

denigrate people of her own age. she has taken shots at justin bieber as recently as the last year, and taking them hard. she understood today's young people, and that is what you have to do to be successful. >> she did. if you saw her crowds they were v%great mix of young to old. >> how did she do that? >> because she had a great following, and shepard, if you're funny, you're funny, and if you can relate, you can relate, and if she -- she knew her audience and her audience was wide. there was -- she was a scrapper. she did her shows on the shopping network. she sold merchandize. i mean, there's nothing she didn't do. the red carpet, made that famous. all the red carpet imitators are imitators of joan. she cut her own swath through the world of show business. we won't see her likes again. she was an incredible lady. >> larry, over the last, half hour and before, i've been reading the transcripts of an

interview you kid did with her on cnn in may 2002. the business of botox, and one of the quotes that is getting a lot of play today, it strm the lines. if you put too much in you look like cher. you look like you're dead. the whole world would have argued she put too much in, but somehow for joan rivers it seemed to work. >> that's right. and she would make fun of herself. that was the beauty of joan. in addition to taking no prisoners, she was her own prisoner. so, -- >> larry king, 45 years, great to talk to you again. i. >> same here, babe. thank you. >> i'll show you fear. that's it. if my book ever looked like this, it would mean that nobody wants to read it.

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>> some people take themselves so seriously. it's a silly, fluffy business, and we schaeffer forget that. >> she talks about how she loved to shop. and shop, and shop. >> i love to shop so i know that when christmas is over i am going now to shop-aholic. i'm going to betty ford center for shop-aholics. oh, oh,"a!$ oh, very rough regie there they take you in a room, show you pictures of queen elizabeth all dressed up.

and you're, oh! you'll never shop again. >> joan rivers two died today at the age of 81. it's tough sometimes to find a clip that is suitable for afternoon television that doesn't clue -- include a lot of beeps. trace gallagher is here. >> as you can imagine the internet is felling up with responses for joan rivers. kathy griffin writes: a legend, a friend, mentor, icon and wildly funny, one of a kind, rest in peace. sharon osbourne. she and joan rivers became close friends. she writes: we have lost a true arraigned. an amazing woman, pioneer, opened up the arena for women in comedy. my heart goes tout melissa and her grandson, love and respect from the osbourne family to you both. seth meiers writes rest in peace, joan rivers.=ñ a force of nature. whoopee goldberg says my friend joan rivers passed away, and to quote billy crystal there are no

words. billy crystal said that about robin williams. ellen degeneres says joan rivers will always be a pea near. she paved the way for a lot of comedians. i'm very sad she is gone, and ricky gervais said rest in peace. one of a kind. and the first response from one or heir co-hosts on the fashion police, rest in peace, joan rivers, thank you for changing my life. i will miss you so much. and we talk aboutbé in fact you just talked to larry king about the famous interview he did with joan rivers on cnn. just a couple of months ago joan rivers walked up a famously an interview she was doing for her new book on cnn. she came by here and spoke to us, and she said that a lot of her friends were dying and when people say, she is in a better place, she would a, no, she is not. she had a place in the hamptons.

so joan rivers, very self-deprecating and very much missed by friends. cnn interview. she said you're just all negative. just all negative. but they moved on. we talk about how johnny carson gave her her start. on the phone now is henry bushkin, johnny carson's lawyer andkzku confidante. they both worked closely we johnny. nice to talk to you. >> nice to be withe> you, shepa. >> i feel like i remember from the start but i know i didn't because i was only one, but i've seen the clip enough to remember, god, you're funny. the first words out of johnny carson's mouth. >> absolutely. and the sad thing is she was so funny, but people remember the end. when carson -- she had a spat and they didn't talk. and i like to think, when she was historically funny -- his

stair clack clubby, she wasn't caustic when she started out but was so funny and such a good friend of carson, i was really saddened when the relationship ended. and it's a test.

her was in january when we did a show together and we were reminiscing about the good times with carson, not the bad times but the good times. she became the permanent guest host of "the tonight show." that's how much he thought of her. and it just is -- we lost a true legend. she is a true lienalend. >> she talked of how difficult it was to host and cover the golden globes with the daughter she loved to much, melissa rivers, who announced her death today. listen. >> in between interviews today, this is what i am learning. these are all the people that are going to be on, and what they've done and stuff like that. it's a giant task, which i then took on because of my age. >> she was kidding and that what a while ago. that was eight years ago. she didn't seem to age.com diic at all. >> her comedy became slightly

different, but she didn't age at all come medically, she was still at the top of her game. i understood the night before she was taken to the hospital she was working. so, that is a testament to someone who is 81 years old and still vibrant and working. it's theqo loss of a true legend re. >> henry bushkin, the lawyer of and coast confidante of johnny carson and then worked with joan rivers. managing along the way. thank you so much, sir. >> thank you. >> the news breaking in this hour, as announced by joan rivers' daughter, melissa(pañ rivers, that at 1:17 p.m. eastern daylight time this afternoon, joan rivers died with her family at her side in a private room in new york city. there are many questions about what led to that death, what happened ate÷ yorkville endosco. and the other headline, bob mcdonnell, former governor of

the state of virginia, convicted on charges including bribery and extortion and could spend many decades in prison. there will be an appeal. will re heal special coverage. for now i'm shepard smith. good afternoon. >> all the news today, protests over a flood of illegals entering the country. now meet the dad who is tiking the fight directly to the president of the united states. welcome everybody, i'm neil cavuto. he says his son drew died when his motorcycle was struck by a car driven bay suspected illegal immigrant. now that dad sending this letter to the president, he writes: my son and all of the others are considered collateral damage in the quest for votes and campaign contributions. illegal immigration is not a victimless crime. so as the president prepares to sign an executive order, we're told, that could, could make millions of illegals, legal,