Melissa Rivers on death of mom Joan Rivers: 'I’ve seen a grief counselor'

Ten months after Joan Rivers suddenly died after going in for a minor throat procedure, her daughter Melissa Rivers is opening up about how she's only now started the grief process. “I had put myself on a treadmill after she died and two and a half months ago, I finally hit the wall,” she told HELLO!. “I cried for three weeks straight."

Much to the relief of her family and friends, once the 47-year-old "hit the wall," she was able to begin processing the loss of her beloved mother and move forward with some help. "I’ve seen a grief counselor – alongside medication and booze," Melissa added.

Melissa admitted that she sought the help of a grief counselor Photo: Getty Images


And it wasn't just her own mental health she was concerned about, she helped her only son Cooper manage the grief as well. "I’ve made sure Cooper received help, too," she said. "Everybody should. We spend so much of our lives trying to be so special, but bereavement is the one time when you take a lot of comfort from being incredibly average.”

Melissa got help for her son Cooper as well Photo: Getty Images

The brunette beauty went on to talk about the final days with her 81-year-old mother, who stopped breathing while undergoing a scheduled throat procedure to treat her acid reflux at an outpatient clinic. “I brought in a hair and make-up team," Melissa shared about her mother being in a coma. "We put her in her favorite pretty bathrobe and made sure she looked the way she would want to look.”

Speaking of looking her best, Joan was vocal about undergoing plastic surgery many times throughout her life, something her daughter tried to talk her out of. "She didn’t listen," the mom-of-one said. My mother didn’t listen to anybody.”

Joan and Melissa were very close Photo: Getty Images


Now, Melissa, who recently penned The Book of Joan, has filed a lawsuit against Yorkville Endoscopy, the place where her mother had the procedure though it won't bring her mother back. “I miss her every day," she concluded. "We were so close.”

Read the full story in this week's HELLO! magazine, available via digital download or on Friday at all Barnes & Noble stores and selected newsstands.

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