Bernie Mac passes away

hongi · Post by **hongi** » 2008-08-09 10:43am

CHICAGO - Bernie Mac, the actor and comedian who teamed up in the casino heist caper "Ocean's Eleven" and gained a prestigious Peabody Award for his sitcom "The Bernie Mac Show," died Saturday at age 50.

"Actor/comedian Bernie Mac passed away this morning from complications due to pneumonia in a Chicago area hospital," his publicist, Danica Smith, said in a statement from Los Angeles.

She said no other details were available and asked that his family's privacy be respected.

The comedian suffered from sarcoidosis, an inflammatory lung disease that produces tiny lumps of cells in the body's organs, but had said the condition went into remission in 2005. He recently was hospitalized and treated for pneumonia, which his publicist said was not related to the disease.

Admiral Valdemar · Post by **Admiral Valdemar** » 2008-08-09 10:48am

Shit. And I was expecting him in TF2. Never knew he was even that old, which is still young to die.

CaptainChewbacca · Post by **CaptainChewbacca** » 2008-08-09 10:52am

What the fuck? Who dies of pneumonia?

Setzer · Post by **Setzer** » 2008-08-09 10:57am

I think Jim Henson did.

Col. Crackpot · Post by **Col. Crackpot** » 2008-08-09 11:10am

Setzer wrote:I think Jim Henson did.

Jim Henson died of an E. Coli infection....

Bernie Mac was awesome... He will be missed.

Post by **Edi** » 2008-08-09 11:35am

CaptainChewbacca wrote:What the fuck? Who dies of pneumonia?

My sister is 30 and she nearly died of pneumonia just last week. The danger of not going to the doctor soon enough and all that. Pneumonia is some really goddamn serious shit if not treated in time.

cosmicalstorm · Post by **cosmicalstorm** » 2008-08-09 11:50am

What the fuck, my father is 53, that is some bullshit.

Kodiak · Post by **Kodiak** » 2008-08-09 11:54am

CaptainChewbacca wrote:What the fuck? Who dies of pneumonia?

Link to CNN

CHICAGO, Illinois (AP) -- Bernie Mac, the Emmy and Golden Globe nominated actor and comedian who worked his way to Hollywood success from an impoverished upbringing on Chicago's South Side, died Saturday at age 50.

"Actor/comedian Bernie Mac passed away this morning from complications due to pneumonia in a Chicago area hospital," his publicist, Danica Smith, said in a statement from Los Angeles, California.

She said no other details were available and asked that his family's privacy be respected.

The comedian suffered from sarcoidosis, an inflammatory lung disease that produces tiny lumps of cells in the body's organs, but had said the condition went into remission in 2005. He recently was hospitalized and treated for pneumonia, which his publicist said was not related to the disease.

Recently, Mac's brand of comedy caught him flack when he was heckled during a surprise appearance at a July fundraiser for Democratic presidential candidate and fellow Chicagoan Barack Obama.

Toward the end of a 10-minute standup routine, Mac joked about menopause, sexual infidelity and promiscuity, and used occasional crude language. The performance earned him a rebuke from Obama's campaign.

But despite controversy or difficulties, in his words, Mac was always a performer.

"Wherever I am, I have to play," he said in 2002. "I have to put on a good show."

Mac started his comedy career at age 8, with a standup performance at a church dinner. In 1977, at age 20, he took that act to comedy clubs in Chicago.

His film career started with a small role as a club doorman in the Damon Wayans movie "Mo' Money" in 1992. In 1996, he appeared in the Spike Lee drama "Get on the Bus."

Mac went on to star in the "Ocean's Eleven" franchise with Brad Pitt and George Clooney. His turn with Ashton Kutcher in 2005's "Guess Who?" -- a remake of the Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn 1967 classic "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?" -- topped the box office.

Mac also had starring roles in "Bad Santa," "Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle" and "Transformers."

In the late 1990s, he had a recurring role in "Moesha," the UPN network comedy starring pop star Brandy.

The comedian drew critical and popular acclaim with his Fox television series "The Bernie Mac Show," which aired more than 100 episodes from 2001 to 2006.

The series about a man's adventures raising his sister's three children won a Peabody Award in 2002. At the time, judges wrote they chose the sitcom for transcending "race and class while lifting viewers with laughter, compassion -- and cool." iReport.com: Share your appreciation for Bernie Mac

The show garnered Golden Globe and Emmy nominations for Mac.

"But television handcuffs you, man," he said in a 2001 Associated Press interview. "Now everyone telling me what I CAN'T do, what I CAN say, what I SHOULD do, and asking, 'Are blacks gonna be mad at you? Are whites gonna accept you?"'

He also was nominated for a Grammy award for best comedy album in 2001 along with his "The Original Kings of Comedy" co-stars, Steve Harvey, D.L. Hughley and Cedric The Entertainer.

In 2007, Mac told David Letterman on CBS' "Late Show" that he planned to retire soon.

"I'm going to still do my producing, my films, but I want to enjoy my life a little bit," Mac told Letterman. "I missed a lot of things, you know. I was a street performer for two years. I went into clubs in 1977."

Mac was born Bernard Jeffrey McCullough on October 5, 1957, in Chicago. He grew up on the city's South Side, living with his mother and grandparents. His grandfather was a deacon in a Baptist church.

In his 2004 memoir, "Maybe You Never Cry Again," Mac wrote about having a poor childhood -- eating bologna for dinner -- and a strict, no-nonsense upbringing.

Mac's mother died of cancer when he was 16. In his book, Mac said she was a support for him and told him he would surprise everyone when he grew up.

"Woman believed in me," he wrote. "She believed in me long before I believed."

To answer your question, he died from "complications" due to pneumonia which was aggravated by his sarcoidosis. And I thought they only got that on House

DPDarkPrimus · Post by **DPDarkPrimus** » 2008-08-09 02:28pm

Unexpected, to say the least.

Darth Lucifer · Post by **Darth Lucifer** » 2008-08-09 03:45pm

RIP, Bernie.

Post by **Kuja** » 2008-08-09 04:38pm

Damn, that sucks.

I wasn't a huge fan of his stand-up but I liked his movie roles quite a bit.

Lord Pounder · Post by **Lord Pounder** » 2008-08-09 05:23pm

RIP Bernie. He was a great supporting actor.

Mlenk · Post by **Mlenk** » 2008-08-09 05:35pm

I am honestly not a fan of his, but it is sad nonetheless when a person goes at such an age. 50 is way too damn young nowadays.

JME2 · Post by **JME2** » 2008-08-09 11:23pm

Heard about this this morning at work. Not a bif fan of Mr. Mac, but I did enjoy his work in the 'Ocean's' trilogy. RIP.

FuncoWilkerbean · Post by **FuncoWilkerbean** » 2008-08-09 11:32pm

Shit, I still can't believe it. He will be missed, RIP.

Saxtonite · Post by **Saxtonite** » 2008-08-09 11:54pm

Knew about it a while, some people were wondering if it was 'real'; odd that it took until now for it to be reported on CNN news (as shown on the TV channel)

Post by **Darth Wong** » 2008-08-10 02:08am

Wasn't he the shady used-car dealer in Transformers?

Aaron · Post by **Aaron** » 2008-08-10 02:12am

Darth Wong wrote:Wasn't he the shady used-car dealer in Transformers?

Yes.

Ford Prefect · Post by **Ford Prefect** » 2008-08-10 04:55am

Darth Wong wrote:Wasn't he the shady used-car dealer in Transformers?

He was also a shady used-car buyer in Ocean's Eleven.

I can't really say I was ever a fan of Bernie Mac. His TV show was pretty awful. At the same time, I always enjoyed seeing him in films, because he was fun. Pity that he had to go so early.

Stargate Nerd · Post by **Stargate Nerd** » 2008-08-11 12:25am

Rest in piece.

Darth Yoshi · Post by **Darth Yoshi** » 2008-08-11 01:35am

Man, that sucks. I've never really been a fan of his, but 50 is still young.