Joan Rivers, 81, condition continue to remain serious. She reportedly stopped breathing during a throat surgery at a clinic on Thursday and was rushed to Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan. According to reports, the American T.V. presenter and stand-up comic is currently in medically induced coma.

Joan reportedly was undergoing a vocal cord surgery when she stopped breathing. Melissa Rivers, 46, Joan's only child, flew in from Los Angeles, with her son, to be at her mother's bedside. In a statement, Melissa said, "My mother would be so touched by the tributes and prayers that we have received from around the world. Her condition remains serious but she is receiving the best treatment and care possible. We ask that you continue to keep her in your thoughts as we pray for her recovery."

A day before the throat surgery, Joan performed an hour of stand-up in Manhattan, according to New York Daily News. She appeared healthy at the event.

An AFP report has quoted Shira Blum, an online project manager, as saying: "Rivers spoke at an employee event at Time Inc in New York on Wednesday night and appeared healthy, practically jogging when she walked in to take her seat. She was very energetic, hilarious, funny. And it was such a shock, a surprise to hear the news this morning."

New York Daily News is reporting that Melissa is "distraught" and is an "emotional wreck." Citing a close friend, the report says that the actress may have to take a life or death decision on her mother.

Joan "would never want to be a burden on anyone," the close friend said to the New York Daily News. "If she can't recover and live a full and active life, she would rather be gone. The thought of her sitting at home unable to look after herself or suffering brain damage is heartbreaking."