Flowers and a photo, which were left in tribute as part of a makeshift memorial, sit on the steps in front of Joan Rivers' former residence in the Manhattan borough of New York
Flowers and a photo, which were left in tribute as part of a makeshift memorial, sit on the steps in front of Joan Rivers' former residence in the Manhattan borough of New York September 6, 2014. Joan Rivers will be laid to rest in a private service on Sunday. The comedian passed away in a New York hospital on Thursday, a week after she stopped breathing during an outpatient procedure at a clinic and suffered cardiac arrest. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri

Joan Rivers' daughter, Melissa, asked a law firm in New York to investigate her mother's death. The death of the actress and comedian was apparently related to a complication of an outpatient throat treatment.

Gair, Conason, Steigman, Mackauf, Bloom & Rubinowitz -- the New York law firm confirmed that it had been hired by Melissa who wanted the company to investigate her mother's death. If the investigation reveals any connection between the death and the treatment process, she may opt for suing the clinic where Joan was treated. The law firm, on the other hand, refused to comment if Melissa had any intention of taking legal actions against the clinic. Reuters reported that it was Ben Rubinowitz who represented the law firm to the press.

Joan was 81 when she passed away last September 4. One week before her death, she went for an examination of the vocal cords and the back of her throat. During the examination, she stopped breathing at Manhattan's Yorkville Endoscopy. When she died after a week, it was determined that she has suffered from anoxic encephalopathy, a medical condition which is caused when there is brain damage due to the lack of oxygen in brain tissue. Joan's death was termed as a therapeutic complication. The State Health Department, nevertheless, started an investigation into the medical clinic where Joan had her treatment.

National Post reported that Joan was noted for her "take-no-prisoners" style of comedy. She wrote for The Late Show. On the other hand, she had her own show called The Joan Rivers Show. She started working with E! Entertainment in 1994. She was known for asking celebrities "Who" they were wearing at the red carpet to know the name of the designer of an outfit. The term has now become a common practice in Hollywood red carpet events.

Joan published a bestseller book in 2012, I Hate Everyone ... Starting with Me. She described how her funeral should be. "I don't want some rabbi rambling on; I want Meryl Streep crying, in five different accents ... And I want a wind machine so that even in the casket my hair is blowing just like Beyoncé's," she wrote.

Contact the writer: s.mukhopadhyay@ibtimes.com.au