Joan Rivers’ doctor denies selfie report; Obama writes Melissa Rivers

Joan Rivers’ death continues to make ripples weeks later, with a doctor accused of impropriety during the comic’s ill-fated outpatient surgery denying those allegations and the future of “Fashion Police” firmed up after a period of uncertainty.

Meanwhile, Melissa Rivers has revealed she received a handwritten note from the White House expressing the president’s condolences.

Joan Rivers “affected so many people, and people you would never expect to have humor,” Melissa Rivers said in a clip from a special memorial edition of “Fashion Police” slated to air Friday night on E!

“I received a letter from the White House, from President Obama, someone who was often a target of her jokes, as was Mrs. Obama, but I received a handwritten note saying, ‘Not only did she make us laugh, she made us think.’”

The future of “Fashion Police” was firmed up on Friday, with the E! network announcing that the show would continue without its acerbic star.

“We have also thought long and hard about what Joan would have wanted as it pertains to the future of ‘Fashion Police,’” E! said in a statement. “We decided, with Melissa Rivers’ blessing, that Joan would have wanted the franchise to continue.”

“ ‘Fashion Police’ will return in 2015 commencing with Golden Globes coverage on Monday, Jan. 12. No further details will be announced at this time.”

Co-host Giuliana Rancic, speaking with ABC News on Thursday, had said the future of the long-running celebrity-fashion talk show depended in large part on the wishes of Melissa Rivers, an executive producer of the show, whom she noted was understandably still grieving her mother’s death.

“They are looking at different scenarios, whether it moves forward or it doesn’t,” Rancic had said.

Of course, there’s also a legal side to events leading up to the 81-year-old’s death, which the New York State Department of Health has been investigating.

Earlier this week, a source described as close to the death investigation told CNN that Rivers’ personal ear-nose-throat doctor, now identified as specialist-to-the-stars Dr. Gwen Korovin, had allegedly taken a selfie while the patient was sedated and started in on an unauthorized vocal-cord biopsy before the cardiac arrest occurred.

That source, who was recounting allegations allegedly made by Yorkville Endoscopy staff members to investigators, added on Thursday that Rivers was visible in the purported photo and that Korovin noted at the time that her client would think such a shot was funny.

On Friday, however, a person from Korovin’s camp told CNN the doctor “categorically denies” taking any such selfie.

A Korovin-related source talking to TMZ said the CNN source was “making up lies.” Some celebrity patients of the ENT doc reportedly contacted the website in support of their physician and her “unblemished record.”

According to the CNN source, Korovin performed a laryngoscopy on Rivers to view her vocal folds, then Dr. Lawrence B. Cohen performed an endoscopy to help determine why Rivers had a continuing sore throat and hoarseness. After Cohen saw something amiss, Korovin began a second laryngoscopy, the source said, at which point Rivers’ vocal cords began to swell, cutting off oxygen and leading to cardiac arrest.

Yorkville Endoscopy has denied ever conducting a vocal-cord biopsy on any clinic patient. Cohen stepped down as the clinic’s medical director last week.

Korovin’s lawyer sent a letter to CNN explaining that privacy laws -- as well as the doctor’s personal policy -- prevented Korovin from discussing any details about a specific patient.

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