Beloved Broadway vocal coach Barbara Maier Gustern will live on through “voices on stages across the world”, grandson AJ Gustern told mourners at her funeral in New York on Saturday.
Ms Gustern, 87, died on 15 March, five days after being shoved from behind and hitting her head on the pavement as she hailed a taxi near her apartment in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighbourhood.
Lauren Pazienza, 26, is facing manslaughter charges over Ms Gustern’s death and posted bail on Friday.
Speaking at the service at the Church of the Holy Apostles in Chelsea, AJ Gustern delivered a moving tribute to the woman he knew as “Baba”.
Mr Gustern told how he had been raised by the acclaimed singing instructor after his mother died, and the pair had developed an inseparable bond.
He said he became inspired to learn to sing from his grandmother, and joked that his her stylish dress sense put his own casual attire to shame.
“She dressed to the nines every single day. She shone so brightly, so bright that in my failure to compete with this woman over three times my age I started to wonder if something was wrong with me.”
He called on mourners to use his grandmother’s life as an inspiration to be kind to one another.
“Baba lives on through our memory, she lives and breathes through so many of our voices on stages across the world. She lives through us, through the kindness we show big and small.”
As well as tutoring hundreds of singers, including Debbie Harry, Ms Grunson was remembered for her selfless acts in devoting her time to charities and church causes.
Hundreds of mourners who attended the memorial service applauded after some of Ms Gustern’s faviourite Broadway show tunes were played.
Meanwhile, the woman accused of her manslaughter, Ms Pazienza handed herself in on Tuesday, 12 days after police released images of her while appealing for information about the suspect they said was responsible for assaulting Ms Gustern.
Following her initial court appearance on Wednesday, she was sent to Rikers Island. A judge set her bail at $500,000 and bond at $1m.
Her attorney Arthur Aidala confirmed Ms Pazienza on Friday.
“We look forward to getting the evidence and the discovery material from the attorney’s office so my client will now be able to come to our office and discuss the case with her partners and I to determine what the next steps are,” he added.
