Rivers crosses the river

American comedian Joan Rivers, who was born Joan Alexandra Molinsky, has died aged 81. For those who put stock in signs and patterns, the fact that her death comes so quickly after the loss of Robin Williams and the actress Lauren Bacall, will not escape notice. Rivers, who was hospitalised last week after a heart attack during a routine surgical procedure, has been on a life support system since last weekend. Her family made the decision to take the iconic comedian off life support yesterday. It is understood she died shortly after. Outspoken, opinionated, and full of fire, Rivers will be remembered as that rarest of personalities: a force of nature. Her excoriating wit was almost without peer, and her catchphrase - "Can we talk?" - forever associated with her diminutive form, typically wielding a fur, hands clutching at the air, spewing one-liners to an audience. Ultimately, however, she will be remembered for one extraordinary quality: she made us laugh. Big deal - so did Robin Williams. Speaking of which, after weeks of speculation, a group of World of Warcraft players stumbled across an “Aladdin”-quoting genie tribute to Robin Williams in a test version of the game. Gamers at the WoWhead fan site discovered the character on Thursday, when a user named Haldhur posted an image of the genie and its coordinates on the expansive role-playing game’s world map. Thus ended weeks of searching prompted by game maker Blizzard’s promise to include a Williams tribute following the actor’s death in August. The blue genie, named “Robin,” emerges from an “Ever-Burning Lamp” when players interact with the object. Then, the genie quotes one of the best lines from the Williams-voiced genie character: “INFINITE COSMIC POWER!” he says, before shrinking, waving, and adding, “itty-bitty living space.” A few weeks ago, users found evidence of two other versions of the “Robin” character that appear to be references to “Mork and Mindy” and “Mrs. Doubtfire.” These versions don’t yet appear in the game.