Joan Rivers -- Stops Breathing During Surgery ... Hospitalized in NYC

From:	<TMZ Staff>

EXCLUSIVE

Joan Rivers was rushed to a hospital in New York City moments ago ... after she stopped breathing during a surgery on her throat ... TMZ has learned.

We're told Rivers was undergoing the throat procedure in a clinic (specifically on her vocal chords) ... when she stopped breathing during the surgery.

Sources say 81-year-old Rivers was rushed to Mount Sinai hospital in New York.

We're told her daughter Melissa is on her way to New York.

Story developing ...