>> reporter: poor melissa. >> poor melissa. the kid is going -- the kid hit me in the eyes. >> reporter: it turned out, behind all of that humor, humility. >> i'm proud of nothing, my darling, i am swimming upstream. i don't know where it's gone. i don't know where it's gone. if you don't do what you want to do, you're a fool. >> reporter: david muir, abc news, new york. >> let's keep the jokes going, all right? >> okay. >> it's obviously a sad morning but she was so funny. she loved to rip people's hair and clothes. nancy reagan's hair do, bulletproof if they ever combed it they would find jimmy hoffa. a gown sandra bullock wore to the golden globe, called it prince's prom dress. tina fey's dress, a decorative toilet seat cover. >> ouch. >> she was so funny. >> everyone talks johnny carson how he gave her her first big break. but it was actually bill cosby, she said, who recommended to johnny carson, you should put joan on because the comedian the night before bombed. >> connecting all the legends.