Saudi Prince Faces Off Against Resident Ghost in Joan Rivers' Penthouse

Prince Muhammad bin Fahd purchased the late Joan Rivers’ legendary Upper East Side penthouse triplex for $28 million, apparently with his heart set on a gut renovation. “Not so fast,” howled J.P. Morgan’s niece from the whirling black beyond.

“Mrs. Spencer,” the building’s original tenant, has a long history of irritating residents; in a 2009 episode of “Celebrity Ghost Stories,” according to the Post, Rivers recounted that trouble began when she started renovating shortly after moving in. The apartment was freezing in the summertime, even with no air conditioning, and the dog was afraid to enter the ballroom.

“It was just very strange,” Rivers said on the show. “The apartment was cold. I could never get any of my electrical things to work correctly.”

Even Rivers’ dog was spooked.

“I guess Mrs. Spencer is back,” the doorman told Rivers.

Rivers brought in a voodoo priestess to exorcise the building, and eventually “appeased” the ghost by hanging a portrait of her in the lobby.

According to an article in The Examiner, a more relaxed Mrs. Spencer—who had reportedly done things to past residents such as “tear the heads off of every cherub in a neighbor’s chandelier”—continued to hang out. “We’re friends,” said Rivers. “It’s nice to know I have Mrs. Spencer to say good evening to every night.”

It remains to be seen if Prince Muhammad has had any ghostly encounters, but in the meantime, it would be pretty cool if Mrs. Spencer could pay a visit to some of the other billionaires clogging up Manhattan real estate with empty pied à terres.