NEW YORK — Joan Rivers' funeral was "quintessential New York," Hoda Kotb told reporters.
The Today co-host, Kathie Lee Gifford, Howard Stern, Donald Trump, Kristin Chenoweth, Whoopi Goldberg, Bernadette Peters, Kelly Osbourne and Diane Sawyer were among the stars spotted at Rivers' funeral Sunday at Temple Emanu-El on the Upper East Side.
Some mourners wore "Joan Ranger" badges — star-shaped pins reminiscent of police badges to honor the Fashion Police star.
The service included a eulogy by Stern and music from Audra McDonald, Hugh Jackman and the New York City Gay Men's Chorus. Kotb said it "felt like a Broadway show with tons of humor, lots of tears, and ended with a standing ovation."
When the service was over, bagpipers streamed out of the temple and played several songs, including New York, New York, as guests made their exit. About 500 spectators and at least 100 members of the media lined the streets outside.
Among them was James Wheeler, 30, wearing a lively outfit as a tribute to Rivers.
"Keep it bright, keep it exciting, like she lived her life," Wheeler said. "I hope that she would like (my attire). It's a little non-traditional."
"Like her, I don't believe in political correctness. Say what you have to say," said Kolu Baysah. "I really didn't come to say goodbye. She didn't believe in goodbyes. I came to say hello."
In Rivers' 2012 book, I Hate Everyone ... Starting With Me, she wrote that she wanted a red carpet and sobbing Meryl Streep at her funeral. There were no outdoor sightings of either, as police worked the crowds telling TV stations to get rid of their lights and show their credentials.
Rivers, 81, died Thursday at Mount Sinai Hospital, where she was rushed Aug. 28 after she stopped breathing during surgery on her vocal cords at an endoscopy clinic.
"It is with great sadness that I announce the death of my mother, Joan Rivers," Melissa Rivers said in a statement. "She passed peacefully at 1:17 p.m. surrounded by family and close friends. My son and I would like to thank the doctors, nurses, and staff of Mount Sinai Hospital for the amazing care they provided for my mother.
"Cooper and I have found ourselves humbled by the outpouring of love, support, and prayers we have received from around the world. They have been heard and appreciated. My mother's greatest joy in life was to make people laugh. Although that is difficult to do right now, I know her final wish would be that we return to laughing soon."
Rivers, who was actively flogging her latest humor book this year, was making headlines up to the last minute, raising eyebrows, as she had so many times in the past, with jokes and remarks viewed as insensitive, unfunny or politically incorrect.
She joked about the Holocaust and the Haiti earthquake, recently suggested Michelle Obama is "transgender" and stormed out of a CNN interview in a rage after seeming to misunderstand the questions.
Mostly, she didn't apologize, or only grudgingly. Rivers, who had more than 2 million Twitter followers, didn't believe she went too far. "Life is tough. Life is tough. I just think, 'Make them laugh,' " she told USA TODAY in a recent interview.
On Friday, a spokeswoman for the city medical examiner, Julie Bolcer, said that an initial autopsy did not establish a clear cause of death and that more tests, such as toxicology, still have to be completed, the Associated Press reported.
Meanwhile, an investigation of the clinic where Rivers was taken ill, the Yorkville Endoscopy clinic, was launched by state health officials, who aren't commenting on what they're looking at.
Contributing: Maria Puente, Associated Press
