Hollywood Elite Mourns Philip Seymour Hoffman

Meryl Streep, Cate Blanchett, Ethan Hawke, Brian Dennehey, Amy Adams, and Ellen Burstyn were among the stars who paid their respects today at a private funeral for Philip Seymour Hoffman that combined sadness and humor to honor an actor widely considered among the best of his generation. The coffin holding Hoffman's body was brought out of the Church of St. Ignatius Loyola in New York City by pallbearers and put in a hearse as family and guests began to stream out this afternoon. Streep hugged Diane Sawyer as they left.

"He left an enormous amount of love behind. It's a terrible loss," said Jose Rivera, a playwright whose work has been produced by Hoffman's LAByrinth Theatre Company. He said the service was loving and simple, with people sharing their memories of Hoffman and laughing. "It was quite beautiful and heartfelt and sincere, and everybody had a lot to remember, in terms of Phil," Rivera said. The list of mourners also included Michelle Williams, Julianne Moore, Joaquin Phoenix, Louis C.K., Mary Louise Parker, John Slattery, Laura Linney, Jerry Stiller, Chris Rock, Marisa Tomei, Spike Lee, and Sawyer's husband, the director Mike Nichols. Playwright David Bar Katz, who found Hoffman's body, was visibly upset as he arrived. (More Philip Seymour Hoffman stories.)