Another comic legend was taken from us suddenly and shockingly on Thursday as Joan Rivers passed away at the age of 81.
As both host of her own late night show and official guest host of "The Tonight Show," the comedienne was a true pioneer -- and many in the industry were completely taken aback by her death.
Just as they did with Robin Williams last month, the comic geniuses of late night all took time out of their shows on Thursday evening to remember one of their own.
Jimmy Fallon got noticeably choked up during his tribute to the late star .... remembering a sweet moment they shared together on his show. See that video above.
Conan O'Brien and Chris Hardwick shared their memories on "Conan," with the latter explaining how they recently became friends.
O'Brien went on to remember what it was like watching her fill in for Johnny Carson back in the day.
"When she did, it was an event. Everybody in the country would talk about it the next day," he said. "At that time, she was so outrageous and her comedy, it felt so out of the bounds and people were just blown away."
Over on "The Late Show," David Letterman remembered her for her strength. "Here's a woman, a real pioneer for other women looking for careers in stand-up comedy," he told the studio audience. "And talk about guts, she would come out here and sit in this chair and say some things that were unbelievable … but it was hilarious. The force of her comedy was overpowering."
Jimmy Kimmel spoke about Joan in his opening monologue, also calling her a "pioneer."
"Besides being a pioneer for women in comedy, for everyone in comedy, Joan was a very lucky person because she loved her job so much. she never wanted to stop," he said. "And she didn't have to stop because she was still great at it."
Sarah Silverman also spoke about her as a guest on Kimmel's show.
Jon Stewart also talked about Joan on their shows this evening.
"There are very few people in my business who you could saw are actually groundbreaking talents," said Stewart. "Joan Rivers was one of them. "Unfortunately, she has passed away. We send the very best to her family."
Meanwhile, Craig Ferguson honored Joan with a joke.
"I know, it's terribly sad. I just hope that when Joan meets the man upstairs he is wearing something she can insult," he quipped.
Seth Meyers revealed why he had so much respect for her as a writer on his show.
Rivers herself was famously "banned" from "The Tonight Show" by Carson in 1986, after she took up a competing gig on another network. She returned to NBC and "The Tonight Show" for the first time in 26 years back in March -- watch that appearance below.
