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-- RIP Bernie Mac


Posted by devnull on Aug-09-2008 14:54:

RIP Bernie Mac

quote:
Actor and comedian Bernie Mac dies at age 50

By F.N. D'ALESSIO � 38 minutes ago

CHICAGO (AP) � 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.

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 worked his way to Hollywood success from an impoverished upbringing on Chicago's South Side. He began doing standup as a child, and his film career started with a small role as a club doorman in the Damon Wayans comedy "Mo' Money" in 1992. In 1996, he appeared in the Spike Lee drama "Get on the Bus."

He was one of "The Original Kings of Comedy" in the 2000 documentary of that title that brought a new generation of black standup comedy stars to a wider audience.

Mac went on to star in the hugely popular "Ocean's Eleven" franchise with Brad Pitt and George Clooney.

His turn with Ashton Kutcher in 2005's "Guess Who" topped the box office. It was a comedy remake of the classic Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn drama "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?" � with Mac as the black dad who's shocked that his daughter is marrying a white man.

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."

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 Oct. 5, 1957, in Chicago. He grew up on the city's South Side, living with his mother and grandparents. His grandfather was the deacon of 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.

"I came from a place where there wasn't a lot of joy," Mac told the AP in 2001. "I decided to try to make other people laugh when there wasn't a lot of things to laugh about."

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."


Src: http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5...EHcIXgD92EQDTO0

That sucks, he didn't look 50 either!


Posted by magikb on Aug-09-2008 14:56:

I just read this on the NY forum.

He was young man, that sucks!
RIP


Posted by Silky Johnson on Aug-09-2008 14:56:

Yeah it's pretty nuts! Tragic. R.I.P.


Posted by loca on Aug-09-2008 14:57:

Saw that on another forum. R.I.P.


Posted by Jben on Aug-09-2008 15:24:

I hope he enjoyed his success/money. R.I.P Bernie


Posted by Abercrombie on Aug-09-2008 15:26:

Maybe it's a joke


Posted by Shaya007 on Aug-09-2008 15:33:

He made me laugh


R.I.P


Posted by Luke Native on Aug-09-2008 15:41:

So sad and young also!

Rest In Peace


Posted by I_Am_Vince on Aug-09-2008 15:53:

This is very unfortunate, he was a great entertainer.

RIP


Posted by *~LiSa-LoO~* on Aug-09-2008 16:06:

Complications due to pneumonia eh? Wow...that's quite tragic. RIP.


Posted by Halycon on Aug-09-2008 16:22:

wow that's a shock.. RIP bernie..


Posted by ItalianPoiSon on Aug-09-2008 16:27:

R.I.P.
I'll always remember his big ass cuban cigar and lazy eye.....


Posted by Chris Allen on Aug-09-2008 16:34:

I heard about him being emitted into hospital and that it was serious, but I didn't actually expect him to actually pass away.

Terrible


Posted by Search&Rescue on Aug-09-2008 16:37:

quote:
Originally posted by Chris Allen
I heard about him being emitted into hospital and that it was serious, but I didn't actually expect him to actually pass away.

Terrible


yeah I never thought it could be this serious too.
RIP


Posted by PPerenyi on Aug-09-2008 16:40:

man i really liked bernie mac RIP


Posted by house_conXion on Aug-09-2008 16:46:

quote:
Originally posted by Search&Rescue
yeah I never thought it could be this serious too.
RIP


ditto

RIP


Posted by gummybear on Aug-09-2008 17:14:

super sad...RIP Bernie...


Posted by E2EK1EL on Aug-09-2008 17:34:

RIP I love BERNIE MAC!!!!

It's a shame.


Posted by VERTiG0 on Aug-09-2008 17:38:

So does the sitcom die too, because it should


Posted by 8Wonders on Aug-09-2008 19:57:

I'll always remember that episode of fresh prince he was on, RIP


Posted by Ryster on Aug-09-2008 20:05:

His standup acts are sooo funny! R.I.P. to one of the greats!


Posted by kotsy on Aug-11-2008 04:48:

Loved him in Bad Santa. Great comedian.

RIP



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