Late Joan Rivers' Grandson Is Her 'Greatest Legacy' – Glimpse inside the Late Actress' Life

Acclaimed actress, comedian, and producer, Joan Rivers, passed away in September 2014, but her memory lives on, and her family is determined to preserve her legacy.

She died at the Mount Sinai Hospital in New York from cerebral hypoxia. Joan Rivers was 81 years old, and her ashes were scattered in Wyoming.

In an exclusive interview with People in 2018, her daughter, Melissa Rivers, said her mother's influence is still felt every day.

MELISSA ON PARENTING

Melissa said her mother left an impact on her parenting style. The late legend's look-alike added:

“I really notice my mom in my parenting. I’ll say something, and as soon as the words come out of my mouth, I’m like, ‘Wow. I sound just like my mom!'"

Melissa believes that she is "a fair mom" to her son, Cooper, but also jokes that she will cause his life "to crash down" around him if he pushes her too far.

ON RAISING JOAN'S GRANDSON

It's important to raise Cooper in a way that her mother would approve. According to Melissa, raising "a good and decent child is the best legacy that" she can give her mother.

She is proud of Cooper, stating that he gives back to the community and understands the importance of doing good to everybody who crosses his path.

"Cooper is my mom's greatest legacy," she proudly proclaims. The family discusses the importance of her values often, and Cooper understands what it entails.

Her son knows how fortunate he is to be given the opportunities that his family's fame affords him, and his mother makes sure that he never loses sight of that.

"We're not entitled to anything," she explains and adds that her mother worked hard to achieve the type of life she wanted. Those are the same values that Melissa is teaching Cooper.

ABOUT JOAN RIVERS

Joan Rivers was an iconic comedian whose name remains prominent in Hollywood. Her big break came in 1965 -- a booking on "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson" -- and she became an instant hit.

In the late 1960s, Joan landed her own program called "That Show" with Joan Rivers, also known as "The Joan Rivers Show."

In 1987, she lost her husband and producer of 22 years, Edgar Rosenberg, after he committed suicide. Around 1989, she made a stunning comeback and launched her own syndicated daytime talk show.

She also served as host of the E! series "Live from the Red Carpet" from 1996 to 2004, and even as she got older, she never stopped working and succeeding at all she did.

In August 2014, Joan underwent surgery on her vocal cords and died of low blood oxygen and acid reflux while being sedated with propofol.

The medical examination was noninvasive and therefore did not explain the cause of the lack of oxygen. However, the New York City medical examiner’s office identified the manner of death as a therapeutic complication.

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255. Other international suicide helplines can be found at befrienders.org