Will & Grace creators Max Mutchnick and David Kohan paid tribute to James Burrows at his funeral on Tuesday.
The Emmy Award-winning TV director and producer, best known for his work on U.S. sitcoms including Will & Grace, Friends and Cheers, was laid to rest in Los Angeles following his death on 19 June at the age of 85.
A specific cause of death has not been publicly disclosed.
Among those speaking during the private service were Will & Grace creators Mutchnick and Kohan, who delivered a witty eulogy in honour of their longtime collaborator.
The pair, who presented their tribute as a dialogue, reflected on meeting Burrows for the first time and admitted they had been intimidated by the iconic director.
"The first time we met James Burrows, the man who would become our show business father, was at a breakfast meeting 30 years ago at Walter's Coffee Shop on Canon Drive in Beverly Hills," they said, reports Deadline. "We were there to discuss whether or not he was going to direct the pilot of Will & Grace."
"On the way over, we had come up with a brilliant plan to counterbalance the experience and power disparity between us and Mr. Burrows. The plan...was to say, 'Thank you, but we do not need your services, Mr. Burrows,'" the writers continued. "After all, this wasn't our first rodeo. It was our second rodeo."
The duo went on to joke that they initially did not want Burrows to "tinker" with their show.
"And damned if we were going to let some legendary director who was loved and revered by everyone who worked with him and who was responsible for some of the greatest comedies in the history of television tinker with our A scene!" they quipped.
Despite the writers' initial hesitation, Burrows went on to executive produce and direct every episode of the long-running sitcom between 1998 and 2006, as well as its 2017-2020 revival run.
Will & Grace's lead actor, Eric McCormack, also attended the service to pay his final respects to Burrows.
"So huge today, saying goodbye to a man I truly loved, #JamesBurrows," he wrote on Instagram. "Jimmy, your effect on my life... is immeasurable. Thank you."
