Bernie Mac passed away at 50! (1 Viewer)

[Steve_Pannell]

Just found this on FOX News:

FOXNews.com - Comedian and Actor Bernie Mac Dies at Age 50 - Celebrity Gossip | Entertainment News | Arts And Entertainment

 

[Radioman970]

Just read about this on yahoo.com news. A real shame. Dying at 50 sucks.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Very sad news indeed. I enjoyed his humor over the years. May he R.I.P.


Actor and comedian Bernie Mac dies at age 50 - Yahoo! News

 

[Tina_H_V]

WOW!!!!! I was shocked when I went on line this morning to find THIS NEWS OF HIS PASSING!!!!!!

And to think...only 50 years old. My Sphink Collection!!!!!!

Not to mention the fact he had intended to retire soon so he could enjoy life more in ways he could not previously due to the fact that he worked so hard for such a mighty long time.

Whether he was doing his stand-up routine, his television show or any of his movies (particularly his part in the Ocean Trilogy), Mr. Mac brought such a unique personality to his works that he was not one to forget so easily.

He will be missed.

R.I.P. 1957-2008

 

[Ray H]

Incredibly sad. I can't say I followed his career or anything, but he was always very funny in the movies and shows I've seen him in.

 

[Brian Sallot]

I was very shocked when I read this earlier this morning. Very sad news indeed. My Condolences to his family and may he Rest In Peace.

 

[Chris Lockwood]

Far too young. I loved him in the Ocean's movies, small role but very entertaining.

 

[DavidPla]

Posted the same in Movies.. didn't even think of TV because of the amount of his film work. Just sad stuff.

 

[TerryRL]

We've lost another great funnyman.

Rest in peace big Mac, you will be greatly missed.

Actor and comedian Bernie Mac dies at age 50 - MSN Movies News

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.

"The majority of his core fan base will remember that when they paid their money to see Bernie Mac ... he gave them their money's worth," Steve Harvey, one of his costars in "Original Kings," told CNN on Saturday.

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, 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."--Associated Press

 

[Holadem]

WTF?? Only yesterday I read that he was doing better??!!

That's just messed up :frowning:

My favorite performance of his was as Dollar Bill, in The Player's Club, a vastly underrated flick that's a lot better than it looks.

RIP

--
H

 

[Rhett_Y]

Wow... didn't see this one coming.

R.I.P.

 

[Citizen87645]

I always enjoyed his work, especially in the Ocean's films. I know he had various health problems over the years, but this was still a surprise.

Rest in peace.

 

[Henry Gale]

Being a Bad Santa fan I wanted to quote one of Gin's (Bernie) lines from the movie.
Almost imfreakinpossible.

"Marcus: Just back off, Will, I got this. I got this! Okay, 30%. That's three of us. 30%, that's fair.
Gin: Half.
Marcus: I meant 33%.
Gin: I meant half.
Marcus: And 1/3.
Gin: Half.
Marcus: 35%.
Gin: Half.
Marcus: 40%.
Gin: Half.
Marcus: 42%?
Gin: Half.
Marcus: Um... 45%.
Gin: [Thinks for a minute] Half.
Marcus: 48%?
Gin: [In British accent] Half.
Marcus: 49%?
Gin: Half.

Thanks Bernie.

 

[Brent M]

Very shocking and sad news. I always enjoyed his work and he will be greatly missed. :frowning:

 

[Clinton McClure]

Wow! Just read about Isaac Hayes a few minutes ago and now I read about Bernie Mac. A true talent who will be sorely missed. May he rest in peace.

 

[Radioman970]

Yeah, hell! :frowning: Hayes' treadmill still running. Damned if you do damned if you don't...stay in shape.

RIP

 

[Matt Butler]

May Bernie RIP

Loved him. Funny as hell.