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She claimed to have wanted a “huge showbiz affair with lights, camera, action”, but Joan Rivers’ funeral later today looks set to be a private memorial service for family and friends.
The controversial comedian died aged 81 last Thursday after suffering a cardiac and respiratory arrest during a routine operation on her vocal chords.
Goodbyes will be said at the Temple Emanu-Ei in New York on Sunday, with a host of stars expected to turn up and pay their respects.
Rivers wrote in her 2012 book I Hate Everyone…Starting With Me that she wanted her funeral to be “Hollywood all the way”, complete with paparazzi and “Meryl Streep crying in five different accents”.
During what is believed to be Rivers’ final interview shortly before her death, she told the Sunday Times that her daughter Melissa had been given strict instructions on who should not be permitted funeral attendance, but no names were mentioned.
“God, I’m in my Eighties. Nobody, when I die, is going to say, ‘How young?’,” she said. “They’re going to say, ‘She had a great ride’.”
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Few details have been released of funeral arrangements, but reports suggest that guests will walk a special red carpet that will then be buried with Rivers.
Her publicist has said that in place of flowers, donations can be made to charities Guide Dogs for the Blind; God’s Love, We Deliver; or Our House.
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