Liza Minnelli was unable to attend Joan Rivers' funeral on Sunday (07Sep14) as she is preparing to undergo back surgery following a fall at her home.

The singer/actress wanted to pay her last respects to the veteran funnywoman at her memorial service in the Big Apple, but Minnelli recently took a tumble which left her unable to walk.

She is preparing to undergo spinal surgery, and could not make it to Rivers' star-studded send-off on Sunday.

Minnelli tells the New York Post, "I couldn't go to Joan Rivers' funeral, which I desperately wanted to because I loved her, but I couldn't go because I can't walk. I'm in bed. Going in for surgery. I broke my lower back. Remember a few years ago I was in a wheelchair because I had trouble with my spine? They operated on it then. Well, now, again. They'll have to fuse it. I was picking up my dogs - and they jumped. And I got twisted and fell. I thought it's nothing. But it wasn't nothing. It became something. After an X-ray, seems I busted it and have to have it fused. The operation's next week."

Rivers died at the age of 81 on 4 September (14).