May I play devil's advocate here? I think Dan would've appreciated the joke- it fits his "larger than life" personality, and he was well-known for doing things in a grand manner, a master showman who felt any publicity was good publicity. At least he didn't get the kind of treatment Red Skelton infamously gave to dreaded Columbia Pictues founder Harry Cohn (generally considered to be the cruelest of the old-time movie moguls) after his death in 1959. Upon hearing that that huge crowds gathered for the funeral, Mr. Skelton said "Well, it only proves what they always say- give the public something they want to see, and they'll come out for it".