Joan Rivers joked about her death at her final comedy show hours before heart attack

In her last onstage performance, Joan Rivers was presenting new comedy material at Manhattan's Laurie Beechman Theatre on the late evening of August 27th. According to one fan who saw the show, she had joked about her own mortality less than day before suffering a heart attack that landed her in the hospital.

"She was really on... She looked like she was in her 50's and she could run a track race," said Shade Rupe, who says he was seated at a table "two feet" away from Rivers that night.

Rupe said there were no signs that Rivers had any health issues whatsoever during the intimate, hour-long show in front of a crowd composed of roughly one-hundred fans. She did, however, joke about her mortality.

"I could go at any moment. I could lay here and go over... and it would be in the papers and you all could look at each other and say I was there the night Joan Rivers passed."

After the show, Rivers posed for a picture with Rupe. Rupe said Rivers was trying out new material and was reading off of cue cards. After the set, Rivers accepted a bouquet of flowers from a fan.

Rivers had suffered a heart attack on August 28th, and was placed on life support immediately following. Rivers passed away today, September 4th at 1:17 PM. She was surrounded by close friends and family. Her son thanked all the doctors, nurses and staff of Mount Sinai Hospital where she was being treated.

See Joan Rivers through the years in the gallery below.