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Comedian Bernie Mac dies from pneumonia complications

09.08.2008 15:02 Arts - Source: cbc.ca

American comedian Bernie Mac died early Saturday morning in a Chicago hospital, according to his publicist, Danica Smith.

"Actor/comedian Bernie Mac passed away this morning from complications due to pneumonia," 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 Chicago-born performer, nominated for two Emmys, had been treated for pneumonia and was admitted to hospital on Aug. 1.

Bernie Mac, shown in this March 6, 2004, file photo, entered hospital on Aug. 1.(Associated Press)

The 50-year-old actor passed away at the city's Northwestern Memorial Hospital. Smith had said Thursday that Mac's condition was "stable."

Mac had suffered from the immune disorder sarcoidosis, which can affect the organs, cause fatigue, skin lesions and a dry cough.

The comedian said the disease went into remission in 2005.

Mac starred in the critically acclaimed TV series The Bernie Mac Show from 2001 to 2006 and was a regular on the Ocean's Eleven franchise.

He also appeared in Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle and Transformers.

Mac's last film is believed to be Soul Men, with Samuel L. Jackson, slated to be released later this year.

Won comedy search in 1992

Born Bernard Jeffrey McCullough on Oct. 5, 1957, Mac grew up in the city's south side with his mother and grandparents. In his 2004 memoir, Maybe You Never Cry Again, the performer wrote about his poor childhood, eating bologna for dinner.

In 1977, Mac started honing his standup comic skills at clubs in Chicago.

Having worked a variety of jobs, from furniture mover to delivering bread, Mac hit it big when he won the Miller Lite comedy search in 1992, which led to regular appearances on HBO's Def Comedy Jam.

'Wherever I am, I have to play. I have to put on a good show.'— Bernie Mac

He has often credited his time in the trenches, performing before tough audiences, as great training.

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

His first major movie role was as Pastor Clever in Ice Cube's 1995 film Friday. After that, Mac would appear in a series of TV shows and other movies including Booty Call, How to Be a Player and What's the Worst That Could Happen?

In 2001, Fox decided to take a chance on Mac, creating a show based on the comedian's life.

In The Bernie Mac Show, he became the custodian of his sister's three children after she entered rehab. Mac's unusual show allowed him to directly communicate his thoughts to the audience.

The show captured a prestigious Peabody Award in 2002 and was hailed for transcending "race and class while lifting viewers with laughter, compassion — and cool."

The show would also garner Mac Golden Globe and Emmy nods.

In 2001, he was nominated — along with Steve Harvey, D.L. Hughley and Cedric The Entertainer — for a best comedy album Grammy for The Original Kings of Comedy.

Six years later, Mac revealed he was hanging up his standup mic and wanted to scale back his work schedule.

"I want to enjoy my life a little bit," he said on David Letterman's Late Show in 2007. "I missed of a lot of things, you know."

Mac is survived by his wife, Rhonda McCullough, their daughter and a granddaughter.

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