Joan Rivers wanted her funeral to be a star-studded affair.
In her book, “I Hate Everyone …Starting With Me,” Rivers famously wrote that she wanted her funeral to be “a huge showbiz affair with lights, cameras, action.” She wanted "Hollywood all the way" complete with craft services, paparazzi, publicists and "Meryl Streep crying, in five different accents.” She also said that she wanted her funeral to be an A-list Hollywood event because, as she saw it, “a funeral is just a red-carpet show for dead people.”
She may have been joking, but today, her famous friends made her wish—minus Meryl Streep and craft services—a reality when they paid tribute to the comedian who passed away on Thursday at the age of 81.
Fans and, yes, paparazzi, lined the sidewalk outside Manhattan's Temple Emanu-El as stars like Diane Sawyer, Barbara Walters, Whoopi Goldberg, and Kathy Griffin, whose comedy career was trailblazed by Rivers, walked into the service. Sarah Jessica Parker and her husband, Matthew Broderick, Charlie Rose , Howard Stern , Hoda Kotb , Kathie Lee Gifford , Andy Cohen, and Rosie O’Donnell also came to say goodbye to the comedy pioneer during the private ceremony.
Inside the synagogue, the New York Times reports that white gardenias and classical music filled the hall as attendees filed in for the service. The New York City Gay Men’s Chorus and Broadway stars Audra McDonald and Hugh Jackman were on hand to perform tributes to Rivers.
Access Hollywood host Billy Bush tweeted that the ceremony was "irreverent to say the least," adding that "Joan Rivers would have loved it," and calling it the "best funeral ever."
In her 2012 book, Rivers joked that dying of natural causes was boring. "It's the grand finale, act three, the eleven o'clock number — make it count. If you're going to die, die interesting! Is there anything worse than a boring death? I think not." Tragically, though perhaps fittingly, the exact cause of Rivers's death is still unknown. Rivers went into cardiac arrest during a routine procedure on her vocal cords and was hospitalized. A New York City medical examiner said tests to determine the cause of death were inconclusive, but the New York State Health Department is investigating.
Last week, the comedian’s daughter, Melissa Rivers, released a statement saying, “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.”
Her publicist said that in lieu of flowers, donations can be made to God's Love, We Deliver, Guide Dogs for the Blind, or Our House.
