Joan Rivers 'serious' in New York hospital

 Joan Rivers, the acerbic US stand-up comic and octogenarian television presenter, remained seriously ill in a New York hospital for a second day on Friday, her daughter said, AFP reports.

Brooklyn-born Rivers, 81, reportedly stopped breathing while undergoing a medical procedure on her vocal cords at a clinic in New York on Thursday and was rushed to Mount Sinai Hospital.

"Her condition remains serious but she is receiving the best treatment and care possible," said daughter Melissa Rivers in a statement released by the hospital.

"We ask that you continue to keep her in your thoughts as we pray for her recovery."

New York Daily News reported that Rivers was on Thursday placed in a medically induced coma after going into cardiac and respiratory arrest during a routine doctor's visit.

Rivers just days earlier filmed a special 90-minute episode of "Fashion Police" and has a string of appearances scheduled in the coming weeks, followed by a tour of Britain in October.

A long-time New York resident, Rivers has spared no one her razor-sharp wit and is considered one of the best at delivering a cutting one-liner with a well-timed zinger.

In recent decades, Rivers has been well-known for her love of multiple plastic surgeries, taken to excess with her exaggerated cheek bones and her preternaturally wrinkle-free face.

Born Joan Alexandra Molinsky, she graduated from New York's Barnard College and worked in the fashion industry, before starting out in stand-up under the stage name Joan Rivers.