Howard Stern featured speaker at Joan Rivers' star-studded funeral

Joan Rivers once wrote that she wanted her funeral to be a "big show biz affair."

A tribute Sunday to the uncensored comedian was just that -- a memorial full of glitz, show tunes, bawdy humor and celebrities who had once been on the receiving end of Rivers' legendary barbs.

Shock jock Howard Stern spoke first at Temple Emanu-El in Manhattan, opening up with a jaw-dropping line quoting Rivers' unflattering remarks about her own body during an appearance on his radio show. It was classic Rivers -- the critic who made stinging off-color commentary about celebs on the red carpet just as frequently made fun of herself.

"Life isn't fair without Joan Rivers in our world," he said.

The nearly 2,000 mourners were star-studded. They included Kathy Griffin, Rosie O'Donnell, Billy Bush, Whoopi Goldberg, Kathie Lee Gifford, Hoda Kotb, Diane Sawyer, Donald Trump, Ivanka Trump, Barbara Walters, Sarah Jessica Parker, Matthew Broderick and Dr. Mehmet Oz.

Alan Anderson of Manhattan, a member of the New York City Gay Men's Chorus, which performed at the service, said, "There was nothing censored. It was all Joan Rivers."

Rabbi Joshua Davidson read the Kaddish, the Jewish prayer for the dead, but earlier promised he wouldn't be the "rambling rabbi" Rivers didn't want at her funeral.

SEE PHOTOSJoan Rivers

TV personality Deborah Norville -- once a target of Rivers' zingers -- said the two had become such good friends that they traveled together to Europe. "Being with Joan made you a better person," she said.

Rivers' business manager Michael Carlin said she once asked him if she could take all her money out of the bank. Carlin told her she couldn't do that and Rivers responded she didn't mean to spend it but "just to hold it."

Rivers' daughter, Melissa, read from a humorous letter she wrote in which she told her mother not to suggest taking her grandson, Cooper, to a strip club for his birthday.

Rivers, 81, died Thursday after being hospitalized since Aug. 28, when she went into cardiac arrest during a surgical procedure at a clinic.

SEE PHOTOS19 envelope-pushing comedians

The Gay Men's Chorus performed "What a Wonderful World," "That's Entertainment" and "Big Spender." Rivers had been a patron of the chorus since the 1980s and was a strong proponent of gay rights.

Actor Hugh Jackman sang "Quiet Please, There's a Lady on Stage." Broadway star Audra McDonald performed "Smile."

Finally, in a New York tribute, pipes and drums of the NYPD Emerald Society came in and played "Amazing Grace" and "New York, New York."

The comedian said in her 2012 book "I Hate Everyone . . . Starting With Me" that she wanted her funeral to be "a big show biz affair with lights, cameras, action" and "Hollywood all the way." Instead of a rabbi talking, Rivers asked for "Meryl Streep crying, in five different accents" and "a wind machine so that even in the casket my hair is blowing just like Beyoncé's."

Attendees had to have invitations and some were asked to present an ID at the door. Fans flocked to the service although they were kept behind barricades across the street.

Cara Wallace, 33, of Bohemia came in a black dress hoping to get inside.

"Joan is such an iconic comedian with a positive outlook on life," she said. "With her it was OK to be single, OK to be strong and independent. These are truly the things I learned from Joan."

Mary K. Hayden of San Francisco carried a bouquet of roses. She was visiting New York on vacation this week.

"I adored Joan Rivers. It was her amazing bravery and her hilarious humor. Nothing was sacred for her," Hayden said. "She was a groundbreaker."