Liza Minnelli, Idina Menzel, Richard Gere and former U.S. President Bill Clinton were among the stars who paid tribute to late composer Marvin Hamlisch during a funeral service on Tuesday (14Aug12).
Hamlisch, who boasted the rare honour of being one of only two people ever awarded an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, a Tony and a Pulitzer Prize, passed away after a brief illness in Los Angeles on 6 August (12), aged 68.
Family and friends mourned his passing at the Frank E. Campbell Funeral Home in New York on both Sunday (12Aug12) and Monday (13Aug12), but on Tuesday dozens of famous faces turned out to say their final goodbyes at the Jewish Temple Emanu-El - the site of George Gershwin's memorial.
Entertainer Minnelli, who considered Hamlisch a "best friend", and Glee actress Menzel, who called the composer her "second father", were both on hand to honour their late pal, as were many fans of his work, including, Gere, Clinton, Tony Danza, Candice Bergen, Tony nominee Kelli O'Hara, comedian Robert Klein, and filmmaker Mike Nichols.
During the ceremony Menzel performed a rendition of At the Ballet from Broadway show A Chorus Line, which Hamlisch scored, and a choir sang his songs The Way We Were and What I Did For Love.
Meanwhile, composer Richard Kagan, cosmetics executive Leonard Lauder, socialite Lily Safra, and his wife of 26 years, Terre, all spoke at the event. Hamlisch's widow said, "Marvin taught me how to live life with gusto and magic. He would order every dessert on the menu so everyone could taste everything and miss nothing in life."
Statements of mourning from U.S. President Barack Obama and former First Lady Nancy Reagan were also read aloud.