Rick James said goodbye to Hollywood Thursday.
Hundreds of fans and close friends of the R&B/funk singer tearfully paid their respects at Forest Lawn cemetery in the Hollywood Hills, not far from where James lived for many years.
Stevie Wonder, Chaka Khan, Jermaine Jackson, Jamie Foxx and Motown founder Berry Gordy Jr. (James famously helped revive Motown's declining sales in the late 1970s and is credited with helping save the label) were among the notable guests at Thursday's somber, if not slightly surreal service. Legendary porn star Ron Jeremy, for reasons perhaps only known to James, was also in attendance, as were Marvin Gaye's daughter, actress Nona Gaye, and R&B singer Teena Marie, with whom James recently toured.
Controversial Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan spoke at the four hour-long ceremony, as did a provocatively dressed Yvette "Corvette" Barlowe, a former singer for the James-produced act the Mary Jane Girls.
Wonder, who performed the song "I've Had Some Good Days," told the crowd, "We're here to celebrate a father, a husband, a brother, a friend, a son...to celebrate life."
The Grammy-winning "Super Freak" singer died in his sleep last Friday. He was 56. James is survived by three children, two grandchildren and thousands of fans.
"On behalf of the behalf of the James family, we would like to thank all of his fans. This is his moment of glory. He would've loved to have known he had this much support. We appreciate your prayers," Ty James, the singer's daughter, said Thursday.
Hundreds of wildly dressed Rick James aficionados turned out for the memorial. One, 47-year-old Linda Truitt, summed up the her feelings for the singer by telling the Associated Press, "He did what he wanted to do, how he wanted to do it--his way."
Los Angeles coroner's officials have yet to rule on an official cause of death, pending the results of toxicology tests. His family believes that James most likely died of natural causes. In addition to his long history of drug abuse, he was a diabetic and suffered a stroke and heart problems in recent years.
James, whose super-freaky life had its major ups (hit songs like "Super Freak," "Give It To Me Baby," "Mary Jane") and downs (a stint in prison for a crack-fueled assault), had been in the midst of a comeback. He had recorded more than two dozen songs for a new album and was working on an autobiography titled Memoirs of a Super Freak.
He was also the subject of a wildly popular skit on Comedy Central's Chappelle's Show. The show's star, Dave Chappelle, was in talks to star in a movie version of James' autobiography, but the future of the project is unknown in the wake of James' death.
The Buffalo-born singer will be buried Saturday in his hometown following another funeral service with local family members and acquaintances.