Comedian, actress and television host Joan Rivers died Thursday, and her death was felt by fans everywhere — especially by one right on Marshall Street in Syracuse.

Tony Christopher Hair Design opened on Marshall Street in 1978. Tony Christopher, the owner of the hair salon, has cut the hair of hundreds of Syracuse University students and faculty, but it wasn’t until the late 1990s that Christopher cut the hair of his most famous client: Rivers.

“Everyone was like, ‘If you ruin her hair, she’ll ruin your life,’” Christopher said. “But all she did was joke the whole time.”

Rivers came to the Sheraton Syracuse University Hotel and Conference Center to talk about suicide and her husband’s death, when an S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications student recommended Christopher’s services to Rivers’ team. Christopher said when he first got the phone call asking if he could cut the famous comedian’s hair, he thought it was a joke. When the news finally sunk in, he got to work.

Christopher said he prepared a few weeks in advance to cut her hair. He watched her on television and read her books. Even with preparation, he was extremely nervous to go up to her suite in the hotel. When he arrived, he was surprised how nice she was, considering her sarcastic humor in her act.

“She was just nuts,” Christopher said. “The entire time was just so pleasant. She had everyone cracking up.”

A picture of Rivers and Christopher hangs in the entrance of the salon, along with the $35 check she wrote to him for her hair styling session. After Rivers left Syracuse, Christopher became a lifelong fan. He watched her show, “Joan & Melissa: Joan Knows Best?” and would send her emails about one or two of the episodes that were his favorite.

Rivers responded to his emails and distinctly remembered who Christopher was from a few years ago. The best surprise, he added, was when Rivers sent him two signed photos of herself with personalized messages. They hang next to the check on the wall.

Rivers’ death came as a complete surprise to Christopher. He followed her time in the hospital on television and was cutting a student’s hair when the news of her death broke. Christopher said the student made sure to ask him if he was emotionally okay, because he is known around Marshall Street for being a huge fan of the comedian.

Said Christopher: “She’s one in a million. No one could ever come close to Joan Rivers.”

Published on September 9, 2014 at 12:01 am

Contact Jackie: jmfrere@syr.edu | @jackie_frere