The death of Joan Rivers has millions of fans, friends and family in mourning, and on Sunday (September 7) many loved ones gathered at Temple Emanu-El in Manhattan for a touching funeral.
Inside the printed program, the “Fashion Police” star provided directions for how things should go- “I want my funeral to be a big showbiz affair with lights, cameras, action. 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.”
Among the guests who spoke during the funeral was Howard Stern, who called Rivers a “troublemaker, trail blazer, pioneer for comics everywhere, never apologizing and never caring what people thought.”
“She did everything on her own terms. She fought the stereotypes that women can’t be funny, they should stay in their place, stay home. Courageously, she fought to save her family after her husband’s suicide; she fought to rebuild her career after Johnny banned her from ‘The Tonight Show’ and the Fox show was canceled. She fought the bigotry toward gay people. She was also a tireless defender of Israel.”
Furthermore, business manager Michael Karlin told the story of how Joan once asked how much money she had in the bank. “She said, ‘Now I want it delivered to my house by the end of the day. I just want to touch my money.’ She did everything first class, which is another challenge for a business manager.”
And though we’re all sad that she’s gone, Joan Rivers left an indelible mark on the entertainment industry for which we’ll all be eternally thankful.