Bernie Mac
The star of the critically acclaimed The Bernie Mac Show succumbed several days after being hospitalized for pneumonia which arose from a longstanding lung ailment, sarcoidosis, at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, Danica Smith told People magazine.
"[He] passed away this morning from complications due to pneumonia in a Chicago area hospital," Smith said. "No other details are available at this time."
Born in Chicago on October 5, 1957, Bernard Jeffrey McCullough got his start in the city's African-American comedy clubs, and broke into the big time after winning a national comedy contest in 1989.
His reputation grew after he made it to the HBO hit show Def Comedy Jam, pitching his wry, pointed style at audiences of all colors.
"If you let people put tags on you, you'll never be able to remove them," he told the Chicago Tribune last year.
In the semi-autobiographical Bernie Mac Show, a hit for Fox television from 2001 to 2006, he plays a man charged with taking care of his sister's three children after she is sent for rehabilitation.
In 2001 he featured next to Brad Pitt and George Clooney as a casino card dealer in Ocean's Eleven and returned in the subsequent two sequels.
He also featured in the 2003 film Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle and was a car salesman in last year's hit Transformers. He also had a major part in Old Dogs, the Robin Williams-John Travolta comedy scheduled for release in 2009.
The Chicago Tribune said he is survived by his wife Rhonda McCullough and a daughter, Je'Niece.
20th Century Fox's Official Statement:
"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."
"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."
Comments (116)
To leave a comment, please sign in or use
Facebook or Twitter
The Doctor
R.I.P Bernie Mac.
3 years agoby @ghettokidFlag
mrwhite09
sincity is being honest....berine mac was not a great movie comic but he does deserve respect so i will say that i am sorry that he is dead but i notice a lot of blacks are dying...berine now i.hayes who is next denzel washington makes you think...hmmm conspiracy. something to think about...RIP BERINE
3 years agoby @mrwhite09Flag
The Dark Knight
f*ck you man show some respect for the dead
3 years agoby @thedarkknight23Flag
desperate hot guy10
humor sucked the show sucked
3 years agoby @kevinbacon34Flag
BlizZzario, Bizniches
I enjoyed him, back along time ago with How to be a Player, and House Party up to Kings of Comedy to Oceans 13, very funny, and I think its a damn joke to keep bad actors and comedians, and keep the bad, for f*ck sake we're losing all the good people, that's some ol' bullsh*t, I really hate to say it but enjoy your slumber, with the eternal kiss, R.I.P Bernie Mac.
BlizZzard
3 years agoby @blizzzardFlag
Nyfresh
R.I.P Bernie Mac
3 years agoby @leo16Flag
The CryptKeeper
I didn't care for his sense of humor all that much, but it's still sad.
3 years agoby @catwomanFlag
JonSpidey07
what a shame and so young too
u will be missed Bernie
3 years agoby @jonspidey07Flag
The Doctor
R.I.P Bernie Mac.
3 years agoby @ghettokidFlag
The Doctor
I am paying my respect again to a very talented and brilliant man.
3 years agoby @ghettokidFlag
Nyfresh
its a shame how ppl actually, no better yet why bother
3 years agoby @leo16Flag
Punishment 2012
ok i will give him that he was a original king of comedy but it is a new age and he was just old, his im a mean uncle in his tv show was boaring after a while... but oh well..
3 years agoby @dizoyleFlag
Nyfresh
All i wanna say is that Bernie Mac was one of the original Kings of Comedy and that makes him one of the greats and i can honestly say not all of his movie were all the great but in stand up he was def one of the best, i could honestly say he up there on the list of best comedians, hes right there next to Chris Tucker and Steve Harvey, Cedric the Entertainer,etc.
3 years agoby @leo16Flag
Nyfresh
i was thinkin the same thing visionary
3 years agoby @leo16Flag
mugoh
Uncle Bobby B baby,uncle Bobby B:"there is a mystical bond between man and machine,son.due to its custome painted job,sleek wheels and double strips,i say 5grand. RIP!!!!!!Mc
3 years agoby @mugohFlag
T.Clark
I was gonna insult u, but then i figured ur just doing it for attention...
3 years agoby @insertusernamehereFlag
Punishment 2012
ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!!!!! HA HA HA HA HA HA HA AH AH AH AHA HA HA HA HA HA!! DUN NA nua nua nua, another one bites the dust!! ha ha ha i hated all his movies, Mr3000 was GAY, and his role in bad santa was worse.. oh well isic hays went and now him. samule l is next
3 years agoby @dizoyleFlag
The Narrator: The Better Man
This frickin sucks!!!
He will be missed.
3 years agoby @narratorFlag
Im A Jew
very sad... the comedy world will be changed forever!
4 years agoby @bowlingking300Flag
Err
"from complications due to pneumonia" they said on the news, and just a couple days prior i heard he had some weird disease that was making him ill, and thought nothing of it.
4 years agoby @err2005Flag
NAME GOES HERE
i'm so F'n sick of "kavien12"'s spam!
can everybody PLEASE press the 'SPAM' button
RIP Bernie - a sad loss
4 years agoby @pinget-69Flag
Nyfresh
OMG... i read about this this mornin on msnbc and i just couldnt beleave it, i actually even googled it just to make sure, i couldnt belave it Bernie Mac is gone, this is the worst news, i grew up watchin Bernie and all the kings of comedy and i love all of them and i just cant beleave hes gone, i dnt wanna get all sentimental becuase there alot of ppl here on Movieweb that take advantage of situation like this just to make a comment but my prayers will go to his family and everyone that knew him.
R.I.P Bernie Mac you will missed
4 years agoby @leo16Flag
Ebonsoul
RIP Bernie
4 years agoby @ebonsoulFlag
The Kwisatz Haderach
This is really sad he was classicly funny, he will be missed greatly. 'Uncle Bobby B baby, Uncle Bobby B'
4 years agoby @the-kwisatz-haderachFlag
Phatlightning
jangleang jangleang jangleang... you will be missed. CRACKER!!
4 years agoby @sxers2k1Flag
Space101
Another great actor lost....RIP
4 years agoby @space101Flag
???
omgggggggggggggg..........RIP
4 years agoby @chombeFlag
FadelessOrange
Bernie was a legend! The sketch "My sisters kids" on Original Kings of Comedy was the funniest thing i ever saw. We'll all miss you Bernie and our prayers go out to your family.
4 years agoby @fadelessorangeFlag
Raoul Duke
rip
4 years agoby @raoulduke33Flag
Moviemaster75
So sad he was so young :'(
4 years agoby @moviemaster75Flag