Joan Rivers' Date Dropped Dead During Dinner at Le Cirque

Today, on a particularly amusing episode of the Howard Stern show, Joan Rivers revealed that a man she had been dating for five weeks dropped dead during dinner at Le Cirque seven months ago. Rivers said her date suddenly went quiet, with his eyes wide open, sitting upright on the banquette, and he just died. Jokes that she made about the incident: 1) Her salmon dish was ruined as a result, 2) She paid for the meal by reaching into the dead man's wallet and handing over his AMEX, 3) At least left a 20% tip even though he didn't finish his meal, 4) He must've kicked the bucket after seeing her in the bright light.

His death was not made public at the restaurant. Rivers, the management, and paramedics told patrons that he would be fine so as to not, you know, totally freak them out. Also it should be noted, her date was elderly, so the death was not, as far as she knows, food related.

There are worse places to drop dead. Readers, please put your best jokes about Le Cirque's deadly prices, its dying breed of patrons, and the like in the comments.

Update: The official comment from Le Cirque: "No one has died at Le Cirque. The crème brulee’s to die for, but that’s about it."
UPDATE No. 2: The good people at Sirius were kind enough to transcribe the show for us. And yes she eludes to Le Cirque, but is ambiguous about it:
JOAN RIVERS ON THE HOWARD STERN SHOW/SIRIUS XM/March 2, 2010

Select quotes:

HOWARD STERN: ?I think you look terrific. I think you’re an inspiration?my mother? says to me ‘boy, that Joan Rivers looks glamorous.’

JOAN RIVERS: Then how come I’m sitting here alone?

HOWARD STERN: ?talk about your dating?I understand, and I don’t know if this is a rumor, a lot of stuff gets in the press and you don’t know if it’s real. You were recently on a date where during the date the guy dropped dead. You’re now dating guys who die in the middle of the date.

JOAN RIVERS: Yes.

ROBIN QUIVERS: ?but that’s a successful relationship.

JOAN RIVERS: (laughing)?you can’t say he left you.

HOWARD STERN: And you miss him now.

JOAN RIVERS: I miss him desperately?I have to pick up the check

HOWARD STERN: How long had you been dating this guy?[before]?he dropped dead on you?

JOAN RIVERS: I had been dating this man about five weeks?It was?just [in the] beginning?it was kind of a new romance. And he died.

HOWARD STERN: Had he already paid the bill?

JOAN RIVERS: No, it was terrible!

HOWARD STERN: What happened? Where were you? I’m curious.

JOAN RIVERS: We were in a very fancy restaurant?I’m not going to [say the name of it]?

HOWARD STERN: Say the name of the restaurant.

JOAN RIVERS: It was similar to the one that you got married in. [Stern married Beth Ostrosky at Le Cirque in October 2009].

HOWARD STERN: Why wouldn’t you say it? It was certainly wasn’t the food that killed him.

JOAN RIVERS: ?they don’t like to say?first of all, Le Cirque, which is such a fabulous restaurant?they don’t like you to say that...you to check your coat and see walkers.

HOWARD STERN: So you go on a date.

HOWARD STERN: How old is he?

JOAN RIVERS: Probably 74 or 75.

HOWARD STERN: So you’re on the date, at a fancy restaurant, and you’re sitting there talking having a nice conversation.

JOAN RIVERS:?.and he’s very quiet,

HOWARD STERN: And he slumped over in the chair?

JOAN RIVERS: ?kind of slumped over in the chair.

HOWARD STERN: Oh my god, hen was this?

JOAN RIVERS: This was about seven months ago.

ROBIN QUIVERS: How long do you keep talking?.?

JOAN RIVERS: Knowing me I was in the middle of a good story.

HOWARD STERN: (laughing)?and she is very narcissistic?she was looking around the restaurant, she was looking at her phone.

HOWARD STERN: Do you notice right away?

JOAN RIVERS: It was horrible?he just got very quiet.

HOWARD STERN: And he closes his eyes?

JOAN RIVERS: No, his eyes were open.

HOWARD STERN: Were you traumatized?

JOAN RIVERS: [I said] I think we better get a waiter here?and they called the paramedics?it was a whole big thing. And he was gone.

ROBIN QUIVERS: What do they do, throw a tablecloth over him?

JOAN RIVERS: It’s very interesting, because people keep eating.

HOWARD STERN: Do they? Were you embarrassed? I mean, I know you shouldn’t be?

JOAN RIVERS: ?I’m just terribly sorry?(joking) no, I like it, it’s show biz?in the middle of my grief I powdered my nose.?and then the paramedics took him out – they don’t say he’s dead. Nobody’s going to say he’s dead. They say, he’ll be fine, he’ll be fine.

JOAN RIVERS: I had to reach in his pocket to get [his] American Express card.

HOWARD STERN: I was going to ask you that – does the restaurant ask you to pay the bill?

JOAN RIVERS: They didn’t ask me?but they followed us out to the ambulance.

HOWARD STERN: Did they? At what point do you get the check, by the ambulance?

JOAN RIVERS: I said, I’ll have somebody take care of this?so I left them his shoes, and his?watch.

JOAN RIVERS: I felt terribly sorry? I had to call up the daughters?.it’s terrible?I don’t know his family.

HOWARD STERN: When you called his daughters to inform them did they even know you were going out with him?

JOAN RIVERS: I don’t even know. I?said I was with your father?and we’re up at Columbia and he’s very, very ill. I didn’t want to be the one to say [that he died].

HOWARD STERN: Did you ask his daughters if they knew any [other] single guys?

JOAN RIVERS: No, but I did say, look, I left a 20% tip, is that OK?

JOAN RIVERS: What do you tip when you carry them out?

HOWARD STERN: Did you use his credit card or yours?

JOAN RIVERS: His (joking). No [I used] my own. I didn’t want to use his?because then the family would fight with you, you gave 20% and the meal wasn’t over?

HOWARD STERN: And what was the cause of death, a heart attack?

JOAN RIVERS: A heart attack?and I had just ordered this really good salmon meal. I couldn’t eat it.

HOWARD STERN: Did you stop eating right away?

JOAN RIVERS: ?that’s why I’m gaining weight – I like food.

HOWARD STERN: Were you sitting there [thinking] oh shit, I can’t finish my meal. Because you must have been really hungry.

HOWARD STERN: ?you finally get to dinner, you’re probably hungry as hell and you’re like?I wish I could finish my meal.

JOAN RIVERS: ?yes, and they had really [good] popovers.

HOWARD STERN: Did you go out to eat afterwards?

JOAN RIVERS: No, but when I went home?we all mourn in our own way. I mourn with a great steak.
· The Howard Stern Show [Sirius]