"My epitaph shall read: 'He left them smiling.' "

Goulet's oldest son, Christopher, speculated that his father probably wrote the goodbye poems after he was diagnosed with interstitial pulmonary fibrosis. "He was very pragmatic."

Christopher and younger brother Michael drew laughter by imitating their father's booming speaking voice in anecdotes recalled during the service, a Catholic Mass conducted by the Rev. Paul L. Bianchi.

"There was so much more to him as a man than just singing and acting onstage," Michael said during his eulogy, recalling his father's habit of surprising friends with random calls. "He did not see color in people, he did not see social status, he did not see wealth. He only saw who they were, not what they were, and that was a marvelous lesson for me."

Other eulogies came from Goulet's daughter, Nicolette; his longtime physician, David Kipper; the Rev. Don Moomaw; longtime friend R.E.G. Sinke Jr.; and Mike Merrick, a veteran show producer who was Goulet's first Broadway publicist.

Celebrities on hand included TV late-show host Jimmy Kimmel and comedian girlfriend Sarah Silverman; veteran stars Tony Curtis, Debbie Reynolds and Phyllis McGuire; Mayor Oscar Goodman; and several contemporary Las Vegas headliners, including Bill Acosta, Lance Burton, David Brenner, Danny Gans, Clint Holmes, Rich Little and Frank Marino.

Singer Steve Lawrence, a contemporary of Goulet's who knew him since the 1960s, served as a pallbearer. "You never picture a guy who's that big and strong and gorgeous dying," Lawrence said before the service. "It's never the right time, especially for people you consider to be bigger than life."

Contact reporter Mike Weatherford at mweatherford@reviewjournal.com or (702) 383-0288.