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Joan Rivers' Funeral Proves to Be 'Hollywood All The Way'

Celebrity after celebrity stepped out of black cars in front of Temple Emanu-El on New York's Upper East Side for the private affair.
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Joan Rivers hoped for her funeral to be "Hollywood all the way," and when Sunday's services were held in New York, it seemed she got her wish.

Celebrity after celebrity stepped out of black cars in front of Temple Emanu-El on New York's Upper East Side for the private affair for the comedian who died Thursday at age 81.

Access Hollywood host Billy Bush in a tweet said the ceremony was "irreverent to say the least," adding that "Joan Rivers would have loved it," and calling it the "best funeral ever."

Some who Rivers had worked with toward the end of her comedy career spanning decades came to pay their respects, including Donald Trump, who had Rivers on his show "Celebrity Apprentice" and Kelly Osbourne, who co-hosted "Fashion Police" with Rivers.

Fellow funny women Whoopi Goldberg, Sarah Jessica Parker and Rosie O'Donnell came to mourn the comedian. And those who covered her antics while also calling Rivers a friend, like Kathie Lee Gifford, Hoda Kotb and Barbara Walters also came to pay their respects. Howard Stern and Andy Cohen were also on hand, with Stern delivering the eulogy, according to The Associated Press.

Just two years ago, Rivers wrote about how she wanted her send-off to go.

"I want craft services, I want paparazzi and I want publicists making a scene! I want it to be Hollywood all the way," Rivers wrote in a portion of her 2012 book, "I Hate Everyone ... Starting With Me."

It seemed many of Rivers' fantasies came to fruition.

Hours before the mourners arrived, reporters and onlookers were corralled into barricades lining the streets of Fifth Avenue for a glimpse of the temple. And the ceremony opened at 11 a.m. with the Gay Men’s choir crooning show tunes, and Broadway actress Audra McDonald singing "Smile."

Rivers was hospitalized on August 28 after she went into cardiac arrest during a procedure on her vocal cords. 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.

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.