Timothy White/E!UPDATE: Joan Rivers had an unsparing sense of humor, not least when she was talking about herself. We remember the legendary entertainer a year after her untimely passing by looking back at the time she told us exactly how she envisioned her legacy.
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Joan Rivers was extremely (and hilariously) clear about what she wanted at her funeral, and the comic legend recently explained to E! News exactly how she wanted to be remembered.
In an interview earlier this year with E! News, the Fashion Police host explained that she was solely focused on the present.
"Enjoy me now. Van Gogh—poor son of a bitch—didn't sell one painting in his lifetime and now it's 'Oh, it's a Van Gogh!' He doesn't know! Who cares afterward?"
Joan continued, "I did a thing for Court TV five years ago…I did a thing, I went to Vegas and was asking people if they missed [Frank] Sinatra. Half of them didn't know who Sinatra was. My grandson wouldn't know or care. Couldn't care less. When it's over, it's over, so enjoy it now."
She also opened up about the perks of being in the spotlight and how much it's changed her life for the better over the years.
"It is wonderful…Let me tell you what fame gives you. Such an opening. It gives you all those special perks. If anyone doesn't get fame…Some of those people [that say], 'Leave me alone.' Are you out of your mind? I saw the King Tut exhibit—I didn't have to wait nine hours. Fame is great.
"You want to be left alone like some of these girls? Then go behind the gates of your $20 million estate and you have fun inside. Everything is a trade-off."
Rivers passed away Thursday morning after suffering complications from a throat procedure late last week.
The beloved, outspoken entertainer is survived by her daughter, Melissa Rivers, and grandson Cooper.
(Originally published Sept. 5, 2014, at 5 a.m. PT)