Famous til the end: Reality TV cameras roll at funeral for Jill Zarin's husband as enemy Bethenny comforts new widow while other housewives and Marla Maples look on
- The funeral for Bobby took place on Monday on the Upper West Side of NYC
- Services were held at the famed Riverside Memorial Chapel
- Bethenny and Jill were once best friends, but have been feuding for years
- When she cried then hugged Jill, it was all captured by TV cameras
- The footage will likely show up on an episode of RHONY
- Other cast members that came include Sonja Morgan, Ramona Singer and Dorinda Medley
- Former RHONY stars Aviva Drescher and Kelly Bensimon also attended along with Bravo celebrities Danielle Staub and Patti Stanger
- Donald Trump's ex wife Marla Maples was also a guest
Bobby Zarin passed away on Saturday at the age of 71 after a long battle with thyroid cancer that began in 2009.
And on Monday his 54-year-old widow Jill Zarin of The Real Housewives Of New York fame was spotted heading into his funeral at the Riverside Memorial Chapel in New York City with daughter, Allyson Shapiro.
And though they used to have a bitter feud, Jill's RHONY co-star Bethenny Frankel was also seen at the funeral as cameras rolled all around her.
Other RHONY cast mates that attended include Ramona Singer, Sonja Morgan, Dorinda Medley, Kelly Bensimon and Aviva Dresher with her husband Reid H Drescher.
Other celebrities in attendance included Donald Trump's ex wife Marla Maples, Patti Stanger of Million Dollar Matchmaker fame, Danielle Staub of Real Housewives Of New Jersey and Marysol Patton of The Real Housewives Of Miami.
There was no sign of Housewives producer Andy Cohen.
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Zarin wore a long black coat over a black dress with tights and pointy black patent leather heels.
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Jill also had on sunglasses and black leather gloves as she carried a large silver purse. Her long red hair was worn down.
The star was seen on the sidewalk as she waited for her daughter to come out of a large SUV along with other family members.
It was a surprise to see Frankel there as she has not had the best relationship with Jill in the past.
The two had often sparred on the reality TV series with Bethenny telling Jill to 'get a hobby.' Later, Frankel said she thought Jill told other cast members not to film with her because she had gotten a spinoff.
On Sunday there were hints the feud had ended as Frankel tweeted: ''Here's to those who wish us well. All the rest can go to hell.' One of Bobby Zarin's favorites,' said the Skinnygirl founder.
She later tweeted: 'Today is a sad day with a silver lining.
'I laughed. I cried. I saw old faces & watched a family come together surrounding a loss.
'“I have a dream” that Bobby’s death makes us realize what is important & treat each day as our last.'
Before that she seemed to credit Bobby with her fame.
'The first housewives producer who found me in the Hamptons just emailed me to tell me that it was Bobby who suggested me to her for RHONY,' tweeted Frankel.
While at the funeral, Bethenny was followed by several camera men.
As soon as she stepped onto the sidewalk, the ex of Jason Hoppy had a large camera in her face. She was also filmed while crying and while hugging Jill on the street. They held hands before saying goodbye.
It is not known what reality TV show or spinoff the footage was for. It was most likely material for RHONY.
Another Real Housewives Of New York co-star who was also in attendance at the funeral was former cast member Kelly Bensimon who seemed to bring her daughter.
She wore a black winter coat over a black mini dress with dark tights and blue flats.
Aviva Dresher came to the service with husband Reid H Drescher.
Dorinda Medley, also a member of RHONY, was dressed for the cold in a fur coat as she was joined by boyfriend John Mahdessian.
RHONY cast member Singer wore a fashionable black coat with to-the-knee boots and carried a YSL purse that was open.
Morgan wore red gloves with a black mini dress and coat, black boots and a striking black fur hat.
Trump's ex Maples was one of the few who didn't wear black; instead she had on a lilac colored coat with grey boots. Also there was Trump's lawyer Michael Cohen.
Inside the service, Jill had many moving things to say about her husband, according to People.
'I wasn’t sure if I could stand up here today,' she began.
'[Bobby] was an incredibly great husband, a great father, and grandfather, and [a] truly great friend.”
She also said Bobby was thoughtful and insisted she attend her parents' anniversary even when he was in the hospital.
Jill also talked about knitting him a blanket. 'When Bobby got sick in July, I needed something to keep my mind going. [So] I started knitting him a blanket.'
And it 'kept growing and growing.'
She gave it to him three days before he died. 'He spent the last days of his life snuggled up in it. The irony is when I draped it over the casket, it fit perfectly. Bobby knew.;
On Friday he seemed worse so they all stayed at his hospital. 'We got the family together and we all slept with Bobby in the tiniest room at Memorial Sloan Kettering.'
When her husband’s eldest son David had to leave the hospital for a short time, she told her husband not to pass until he returned.
When he did come back, Bobby quietly died.
Jill first shared the news of the passing of her husband on social media with a heartfelt message.
'With the heaviest of hearts, we are devastated to share the news that our beloved Bobby Zarin passed away peacefully today surrounded by family after a courageous battle with cancer,' the family said in a statement.
'There are no words to describe how heartbroken we are. Thank you, everyone for all your love, and support during this difficult time.'
Bobby was first diagnosed with thyroid cancer in 2009.
He had his thyroid removed as well as undergoing radioactive iodine treatment shortly thereafter, which all hoped would cure the fabric sales mogul.
He explained to People at the time 'the radioactive iodine usually kills off whatever undetectable cancer cells are left in your body after surgery. We thought it was cured – and it usually is in about 93 percent of cases. But I wasn't able to absorb the radioactive iodine. So it came back.'
Unfortunately things then took a turn for the worse for Bobby, and Jill revealed in the autumn of 2016 the cancer had spread to his lungs and eventually even his brain in the form of a tumor.
After undergoing advanced brain surgery, the family was still hopeful that his recovery was imminent.
'He is not going down without a fight,' Jill proclaimed at the time to People, 'we're hoping for a miracle.'
Jill remained by his bedside while treatment continued, and never let is condition get her down about their relationship.
'He is the most loving and caring person I have ever known besides my father,' she told the publication, before lamenting 'sometimes life just isn't fair.'
'We have such a great love story,' she added 'he is the love of my life and I will do everything in my power to heal and care for him.'
Last Thursday, on January 4, Jill posted a sweet photo of the couple looking longingly at one another along with a very gushy caption 'Happy 18th! Anniversary to the love of my life Bobby Zarin.
'Bobby is the most perfect man I know. He never loses anything, never forgets anything and when I think he is wrong... he is always right!'
She followed that post up with another soon after that may have been a bit more solemn.
The image was actually a collage of images of the duo, with the caption 'Happy Anniversary to my Bobby Zarin .. a lifetime of memories...'
Bobby ran Zarin Fabrics, which was originally founded by his father in New York City in 1936.
He is survived by his three children Jonathan, David and Jennifer, as well as step daughter Allyson, who is Jill's daughter.
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