Bernie Mac: 1957-2008

Bernie Mac, one of the trailblazing Kings of Comedy, died of complications due to pneumonia early Saturday morning. Mac had been hospitalized for about a week and his death was related to the immune-system disorder sarcoidosis.

Mac had been performing stand-up comedy since high school, though he wasn't really discovered until his thirties. He found serious notoriety on the Kings of Comedy tour with Steve Harvey, Cedric the Entertainer and D.L. Hughly, a trek that was later adapted into a film by Spike Lee. The movie helped kick off Mac's secondary career on-screen, as he later went on to run The Bernie Mac Show and act memorable roles in the Ocean's franchise, Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle and Bad Santa.

Before his death, Mac was in the middle of shooting a stand-up movie The Whole Truth, Nothing But The Truth, So Help Me Mac, a name that perfectly encapsulates his no-nonsense approach to comedy. The film is still slated for release, as is Soul Men, the feature Mac stars in with Samuel L. Jackson and the recently deceased Isaac Hayes. He will be truly missed, but we're glad that his insightful comedy will live on.

Related links:
Chicago Tribune: Chicago comedian Bernie Mac dead at age 50
Bernie Mac on IMDb
BernieMacShow.com

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