RIP Bernie Mac

Posted by brandy

on August 9, 2008M at 9:41 pm

America, the entertainment world lost a funny and talented actor/comic today, with the death of Bernie Mac at age 50.

Mac died this morning of complications from pneumonia in Chicago-area hospital, the Associated Press reports.

He suffered from sarcoidosis, an inflammatory lung disease that produces tiny lumps of cells in the body’s organs, but earlier said the condition went into remission in 2005. His publicist told the AP that his recent hospitalization and treatment for pneumonia wasn’t related to the disease.

Mac was born Bernard Jeffrey McCullough on Oct. 5, 1957, in Chicago. He grew up poor on the South Side, living with his mother and grandparents. His mother died of cancer when he was 16.

He started in standup as a child performing on the subways for pocket change. His film career began with a bit part in the 1992 Damon Wayans comedy “Mo’ Money.”

But he became more widely known with his appearance in the 2000 documentary “The Original Kings of Comedy,” with fellow black comic kings Steve Harvey, D.L. Hughley and Cedric The Entertainer.

He was perhaps best known for his Fox sitcom “The Bernie Mac Show,” about a childless couple suddenly called on to raise his sister’s three children. The series ran from 2001-06, and he often broke the “fourth wall” to vent his frustrations, addressing the audience as “America.” The show won a 2002 Peabody Award and earned him Golden Globe and Emmy nominations.

Mac also forged a movie career, starring as one of George Clooney’s cohorts in the “Ocean’s Eleven” franchise. He also starred in the remake “Guess Who,” the dark comedy “Bad Santa,” the blockbuster “Transformers” and other films.

In 2007, he told David Letterman he planned to retire from standup to focus on movies and producing.

Mac had recently been working on the TV series “Starting Under.” He also was working on a couple of upcoming films, including co-starring with Samuel L. Jackson in “Soul Men,” scheduled for a November release, (slated for release later this year) and the star-studded comedy “Old Dogs,” scheduled for a 2009 release.

Mac is survived by his wife of more than 30 years, Rhonda McCullough, their daughter, Je’Niece, a son-in-law and a granddaughter, according to MTV.com. Our thoughts are with them.

A public memorial is planned for noon Aug. 16 at The House of Hope church in his hometown of Chicago, according to the AP.

-BAM

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