Matt Logan

Bernie Mac: 1957-2008 - E! Online

Bernie Mac: 1957-2008
9. August 2008 - 07:36 by JOAL RYAN


Bernie Mac wanted to be like Bill Cosby: He wanted to make his mother laugh.
The actor-comedian, who told jokes on train platforms and plugged away for decades before coming into the spotlight on his own Fox sitcom, the Ocean's movies and more, died today—one week after it was learned he'd been hospitalized with pneumonia.
He was 50.
A spokesman for the Cook County Medical Examiner's office confirmed to E! News that Mac had been a patient at Chicago's Northwestern Memorial Hospital for "over a week," and that he died this morning of "natural causes."
Yesterday, Mac's publicist, Danica Smith, responding to rumors that the star had fallen critically ill, said Mac was in stable condition, and was "responding well to treatment."
Mac suffered from sarcoidosis, an inflammatory disease that can affect any body organ, per the Mayo Clinic's website, but that Mac revealed in 2005 had taken root in his lungs. According to Smith, the pneumonia that struck down the star was unrelated to the disease, which had reportedly been in remission.
Prior to falling ill, Mac had been typically booked—shooting a new proposed Fox comedy series, Starting Under, finishing off a new big-screen comedy with Samuel L. Jackson, Soul Men, due out in November, and even offering himself as vice-presidential material to Barack Obama.

LostEvi

omg this is so sad !

sprezzatura

Omg!!!

Crystaline

I don't even know what to say. I'm so utterly shocked. I knew he had pneumonia, but last I heard he was gonna pull through. This is just incredibly sad.

Gracie

I'm just so sad about this, I opened up my internet and there was the headline, at first I thought it was a joke, it's just so sad, I loved the Bernie Mac show and him in general, he was so great.

Matt Logan

first George Carlin now Bernie Mac

misst89

RIP bernie we'll never forget you

living destiny

Rip Bernie!!

babyblue54

I can't believe he died!

living destiny

It is SO sad, and totally unexpected!

Enigma

I was so sad to hear this news today.

Matt Logan

He had some type of lung disease and got ill last week , very very sad indeed. I am sure all his co stars from Oceans movie will comment on his passing

Crack of Doom

I am really sorry to hear that. Saw it on the news first thing i walked into the living room. Quite the shock to the system. RIP Bernie.

built to spill

I'm heartbroken.

RIP Bernie.

Matt Logan

word spreads, tributes are pouring in from the funnyman's friends and colleagues.

Friends, Colleagues Pay Tribute to Bernie Mac - E! Online

Brad Pitt: "I lament the loss of a ferociously funny and hardcore family man. My thoughts are with [his wife] Rhonda and their family. Bernie Mac, you are already missed."

George Clooney: "The world just got a little less funny. He will be dearly missed."

Chris Rock: "Bernie Mac was one of the best and funniest comedians to ever live, but that was the second best thing he did. Bernie was one of the greatest friends a person could have. Losing him is like losing 12 people because he absolutely filled up any room he was in. I'm gonna miss the Mac Man."

Cedric the Entertainer: "It's hard to put into words just how I feel and what a painful loss this is. Bernie was a brother, a friend and one of the comic masters of our time. Sharing the marquee with him during the phenomenon of the Kings of Comedy tour bonded us like family, and created a unique moment in comic history marking some of the most meaningful, memorable and fun times of our lives. His comedic approach was his own brand and will definitely stand the test of time. The level of his talent always inspired me and other comedians to 'bring their A-game.' I promise you that you never wanted to be the guy who had to follow Bernie's set! As a husband and father, he was THE MAN and my thoughts and prayers are with his family. He will truly be missed, but so well remembered."


Don Cheadle: "This is a very sad day for many of us who knew and loved Bernie. He brought so much joy to so many. He will be missed, but heaven just got funnier."

Kelly Preston and John Travolta: "We are heartbroken. He will be deeply missed. He was a wonderful, kind and gentle man."


Ocean's Eleven costar Carl Reiner: “It’s a tremendous loss because of his age and the fact that he was such a vital, original human being. When I use the word 'original' I really mean it. He was like no other person I knew. He lived his life to the fullest, even when we were on the set of Ocean's. He had his own little apartment and he cooked and invited people to lunch every day and he had food that was for everybody. He made very exotic things. His conversations were always different than any conversations I had with anyone else. They were very family-oriented; he talked about his wife and children with such love and it’s very hard to believe that he’s not with us anymore.”


Actress/comedienne Niecy Nash, who played Mac's little sister on the hit television series The Bernie Mac Show and acted opposite him in the 2005 film Guess Who, said this about her friend and mentor: "His passing is such a major loss to the acting and comedy communities. Bernie Mac was the personification of the word 'real.' He kept it real. That kind of genuine spirit that he carried all the time cannot be easily duplicated, but I will do my very best to try."


Fox Broadcasting Company and
20th Century Fox Television: "Bernie Mac was a gifted talent whose comedy came from an authentic and highly personal place. He was a tremendous live performer and a wonderful actor. Fox was proud to be the home of The Bernie Mac Show, and all of us at Fox and 20th Century Fox Television extend our deepest sympathies to his wife, Rhonda, and daughter, JeNiece."

Jenifer Lewis: ”Bernie’s style of comedy was bold, courageous and revolutionary—I never knew anyone who loved to be funny as much as Bernie. He will most definitely be very missed.”


Samuel L. Jackson, Mac's costar in the November 2008 flick Soul Men: "It goes without saying that Bernie was one of the preeminent comedians of our generation. He was also an attentive husband, a great father and loving grandfather. I feel blessed to have shared years of friendship with Bernie Mac and I'm honored to have finally costarred with him in what I consider to be his finest cinematic acting achievement. My sincere prayer is that his family will be comforted by the warmth of love from all of us who knew and respected this man."
(Originally published on Aug. 9, 2008 at 12:30 p.m. PT)