TORONTO — Canadian actress said Saturday she was honoured to speak at the funeral of her friend, co-creator .
“It was a lovely service,” Anderson wrote on , “full of laughter and tears.”
Simon, , was a close friend of Anderson and shared her passion for animal rights advocacy.
The funeral was followed by a reception for family and close friends.
reported erroneously Saturday that Simon’s family banned Anderson from the funeral — which TMZ said is on Tuesday — because she accepted a ring worth around $800,000 from him in his final days.
The website quoted “sources who were close to Sam” as saying his family was “infuriated and felt Pam took advantage of a weak man.”
Among the mourners at Simon’s funeral was his ex-wife, B.C.-raised actress Jennifer Tilly, who thanked Anderson on Twitter for her “beautiful speech.”
Thank you for your beautiful speech at the funeral. Sam would have loved it!
— Jennifer Tilly (@Jtillathekilla2)
A message on the for the Sam Simon Foundation said the funeral was “an amazing experience.”
It read: “Having a room full of comedy writers and animal lovers ensured that the ceremony was everything Sam would’ve wanted. We choose to believe he was there laughing and crying along with us.”
writer Stephanie Gillis described the funeral as “hilarious & poignant.” She : “Sam wins award for best funeral. If only he could accept.”
Also speaking at the funeral were actor and host Drew Carey, producer Al Jean, writer Jay Kogen, TV writer Merrill Markoe and PETA president Ingrid Newkirk — as well as Simon’s girlfriend, makeup artist Kate Porter.
Former host Bob Barker told those gathered to honour Simon: “I’m tearing up my notes. I’ve never before been to such an unusual funeral. It’s like nobody died.”
Simon’s casket was covered with an image of Bart Simpson made of flowers. A cartoon bubble read: “Later, man.”
© Shaw Media, 2015