NEW YORK, July 9 (UPI) — Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks, Rita Wilson and Martin Short paid tribute to the late writer-director Nora Ephron at a memorial in New York’s Alice Tulley Hall Monday.
Ephron died June 26 of complications from leukemia. She was 71.
The Hollywood Reporter said she pre-planned her entire memorial service, including the location and list of speakers. She even had one-of-a-kind recipes tucked into the individual programs, the newspaper said.
“I believe that when people pass, they zoom into the people that love them the most. So, if that’s the case, then all of us here have a piece of Nora,” Short said at the ceremony. “And that’s the way it should be. Because life would just seem all too mundane without her. And if she’s a part of us, we must be more like her: read everything, savor everything, talk to the person on your left, embrace laughter like it’s a drug, drink more pink champagne, and yes, brush up your style.”
Her sons Jacob and Max also celebrated her wit, warmth and strength.
“She was the most fantastic blend of joy and cynicism. She was my best friend, my biggest cheerleader and a total drill sergeant, which is basically what a great parent is supposed to be,” Jacob said. “Some other things I will miss about mom: her roast beef with Yorkshire pudding, the way she kept at least 10 different kinds of jam in her refrigerator, how we wept and we cried together upon finding out that Pat Buchanan would no longer be a regular on Rachel Maddow … and the fact that we cannot discuss the breakup of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes’ marriage, and the fact that she would have found that just as fascinating as the fact that John Roberts was the deciding vote on healthcare.”
Also in attendance were Al Franken, Barbara Walters, Diane Sawyer, Alan Alda, Graydon Carter, Rob Reiner, Jon Hamm, Jennifer Westfeldt and Scott Rudin, The Hollywood Reporter said.
UsMagazine.com spotted Meg Ryan, Bette Midler, Matthew Broderick, Steven Spielberg, Lorne Michaels, Steve Martin, Kristin Chenoweth and Martha Stewart.
Ephron’s film credits include “When Harry Met Sally,” “My Blue Heaven,” “Sleepless in Seattle,” “You’ve Got Mail” and “Julie & Julia.”
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