Ben LawsonJoan Rivers' funeral proved to be much like the Hollywood events she spent her career covering, which is exactly what the comedian, best known for her merciless wit on the red carpet, had said she wanted.
Rivers wrote in her 2012 book, "I Hate Everyone ... Starting With Me," that she wanted her funeral to be a "showbiz affair" just like her life. She wrote: "I want paparazzi and I want publicists making a scene! I want it to be Hollywood all the way. I don't want some rabbi rambling on; I want Meryl Streep crying, in five different accents."
And it certainly was a showbiz affair, aside from a sobbing Meryl Streep, who was reportedly not in attendance.
The service was closed to the public, which forced many outlets to report from the street.
Whoopi Goldberg, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kelly Osbourne were among the countless celebrities to attend Rivers' funeral.
The New York Daily News writes that Rivers "likely would have felt at home stalking the entrance, mercilessly skewering every fashion faux pas."
Her longtime friend Howard Stern delivered a eulogy that Fox News said was full of nothing but laughter. Hugh Jackman and the New York City's Gay Men's Chorus both performed, Rivers was said to be a big supporter of the choir.
NBC reports bagpipers and drummers from the New York City Police Department closed the ceremony.
Geraldo Rivera told ABC, "The mood was more joyful than sorrowful. There were a lot of laughs, there was sadness of course but it was exactly the show that Joan wanted."
Rivers is survived by her daughter Melissa and her grandson Cooper.
