by Caroline Cooney

Created on: March 11, 2010   Last Updated: March 12, 2010

A slew of celebrities are going public with their paranormal experiences on Bio channel’s Celebrity Ghost Stories. Recently on the show, comedienne and television personality Joan Rivers recounted her experience purchasing a New York apartment twenty-odd years ago. At the time, Rivers stated, she was reeling from personal tragedy and professional disaster. 'It had been a very bad year for me. I’d been fired from my late night talk show. My husband had committed suicide…I said, I have got to get out of L.A. and go back to New York.'

Rivers puchased a penthouse apartment that was once the ballroom of a large mansion and put ‘all of her energy’ into renovations. One weekend when the workmen were gone, she dropped by her new home to check on the progress. It was a very hot night, but the apartment was freezing cold despite the absence of any air-conditioning. Her dog, a ‘little yorkie’, refused to enter the penthouse. She complained to the doorman, who said, ‘Oh, I guess Mrs. Spencer is back.’

Mrs. Spencer, allegedly a niece of J.P. Morgan, used to occupy the entire building as her private residence. After her passing, her spirit reportedly returned and ‘did things’ to residents, such as tear the heads off of every cherub in a neighbor’s chandelier.

As the renovation progressed into the winter months, Joan’s discomfort in the apartment intensified. It was freezing even when she blasted the heat. Her dog contnued to be panicked and skittish in the old ballroom, and the workmen ‘didn’t want to be there either’.

Rivers enlisted the help of a voodoo priestess who began communicating with Mrs. Spencer, relating that the former owner still considered herself the ‘grand dame’ of the building and was furious that the current residents were defiling her home. After an exhaustive exorcism involving ‘chanting…and drumming’, Rivers went door to door with the priestess offering to cleanse the neighbors' apartments. ‘Not one neighbor refused.’ Rivers said. ‘Everybody had a story.’

Rivers went on to say that Mrs. Spencer continues to visit her ‘just about every night’ at about three o’clock in the morning and that she now feels comforted and protected by the spirit’s presence. ‘We’re friends,’ said Rivers. ‘It’s nice to know I have Mrs. Spencer

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