Edgar Rosenberg (September 21, 1925 – August 14, 1987) was a German-born BritishAssociated Press
"Comedian Joan Rivers dead at 81"
'' The Citizens' Voice'', September 4, 2014. film and television producer based in the U.S.

Early life

Edgar Rosenberg was born to

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

parents in

Bremerhaven Bremerhaven (; ) is a city on the east bank of the Weser estuary in northern Germany. It forms an exclave of the Bremen (state), city-state of Bremen. The Geeste (river), River Geeste flows through the city before emptying into the Weser. Brem ...

in 1925. When he was a small boy, his family emigrated from Germany to Denmark and then South Africa to escape the Nazis. Richard Meryman
"Joan Mourns Edgar,"
''

People The term "the people" refers to the public or Common people, common mass of people of a polity. As such it is a concept of human rights law, international law as well as constitutional law, particularly used for claims of popular sovereignty. I ...

'', August 31, 1987. He was educated in England at Rugby School and

Cambridge University The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

.Nikki Finke
"Edgar Rosenberg: The Public Ending of a Private Life : Suicide of Rivers' Husband Came Without a Warning"
''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'', August 20, 1987. Retrieved March 10, 2013.

Career

Rosenberg moved to the United States as a young man and rose to become an assistant to Emanuel Sacks, vice president of entertainment at NBC. He was fired during a year of recovery after, sitting in a parked car, he had been hit by a runaway truck: he had to work as a night clerk in a bookstore. In the 1960s, he worked for the public relations firm run by Anna M. Rosenberg (to whom he was not related) and was a valued news source for journalists. As a co-founder of the nonprofit Telsun Foundation production company affiliated with the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

, he helped to develop a series of television films promoting the United Nations, one of which, '' The Poppy Is Also a Flower'' (1966), was also released to theaters as a feature film. His other television credits included the 1950s U.S. educational TV series '' Omnibus'' and the short-lived 1970s

sitcom A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy) is a genre of comedy produced for radio and television, that centers on a recurring cast of character (arts), characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent settin ...

'' Husbands, Wives & Lovers'', which was created by his wife, Joan Rivers. In the 1970s, he produced the feature film '' Rabbit Test'' (1978), written and directed by Rivers. He served as Rivers' manager for most of their marriage and was a producer on '' The Late Show Starring Joan Rivers'', on the newly formed Fox Television Network.

Personal life and death

Rosenberg married actress, comedian and commentator

Joan Rivers Joan Alexandra Molinsky (June 8, 1933 – September 4, 2014), known professionally as Joan Rivers, was an American comedienne, actress, producer, writer and television host. She was noted for her blunt, often controversial comedic persona that w ...

in July 1965, five days after hiring her to work with him in

Jamaica Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...

rewriting a screenplay for a joint movie deal with his friend Peter Sellers. The couple had one daughter, Melissa Rivers. In August 1987, several months after Fox fired him and Rivers, Rosenberg took his own life, overdosing on prescription drugs in a

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

hotel room. He had been clinically depressed, which Rivers believed was brought on by medication he had been taking since a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...

in 1984. Nancy Reagan was the first person to telephone Rivers upon Rosenberg's death and arranged for his body to be moved from Philadelphia.Tim Teeman
"Joan Rivers: Our Last Interview"
'' The Daily Beast'', September 4, 2014, retrieved October 19, 2014.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rosenberg, Edgar 1925 births 1987 suicides 1987 deaths People from Bremerhaven Jewish emigrants from Nazi Germany to the United States Alumni of the University of Cambridge American film producers American television producers Drug-related suicides in Pennsylvania Suicides in Philadelphia Joan Rivers People educated at Rugby School Jewish emigrants from Nazi Germany to South Africa