Joan Rivers: E! network to pay tribute to the comedian

E! network, long a home to Joan Rivers and her red carpet musings, as well as style talk show “Fashion Police,” is paying tribute to the comedic spitfire who died Thursday at age 81.

E! News will air a special episode devoted to the life of Joan Rivers at 7 p.m. ET/PT Thursday night, with a repeat airing at 9 p.m. ET/PT that will leaded into an updated “True Hollywood Story: Joan & Melissa Rivers” at 10 p.m. ET/PT.

On Friday, the network will air “E!News Special: Joan Rivers: Celebrating an Icon” at 9 p.m. ET/PT -- the time slot of “Fashion Police,” where Rivers’ unapologetic wit had been on full display each week, along with co-hosts Giuliana Rancic, Kelly Osbourne, and George Kotsiopoulos.

The show, which launched in 2010 and played up Rivers’ trademark fashion critiques of celebrities, had been on hiatus since news first broke last week that Rivers had suffered complications from throat surgery.

No decision on the fate of “Fashion Police” has been made.

Part of a statement from E! network and its parent company NBC Universal read: “For decades Joan has made people laugh, shattered glass ceilings and revolutionized comedy. She was unapologetic and fiercely dedicated to entertaining all of us and has left an indelible mark on the people that worked with her and on her legions of fans. She’s been a much beloved member of the E! family for over 20 years and the world is less funny without her in it. Today our hearts are heavy knowing Joan will not be bounding through the doors.”