More than 6,000 family members, friends and fans gathered at Chicago's House of Hope church on Saturday to pay their final respects to Bernie Mac. Samuel L. Jackson, Chris Rock, Steve Harvey and Rev. Jesse Jackson attended the emotional service and Oprah Winfrey, Barack Obama and Andy Garcia also sent condolences.
Mayor Richard Daley spoke fondly of Mac and recalled how the late comedian was especially passionate about wanting to help children. Mac doted on his granddaughter, Jasmine, who was the daughter of his only child, Je'Niece.
“He wanted to help get children away from a life of crime and violence,” Daley said “That’s why he’s the king of comedy. He never lost his soul in Chicago.” The service also included the reading of letters of condolence from children.
Jackson, who co-stars with Mac in the upcoming movie “Soul Men,” also spoke at the service as did Mac's co-stars in "The Original Kings of Comedy," Harvey, Steve Harvey, D.L. Hughley and Cedric The Entertainer. The three actors took the stage together as Hughley remembered, “Bernie would wear colors that crayons hadn’t even thought of yet.”
Also honored at the memorial was singer Isaac Hayes, who passed away one day after Mac and who also co-starred with him in "Soul Men." Some of Hayes' songs were played in the background as a montage of photos and sound clips were played during the service.
Fans arrived by the busload and waited in line for hours to gain entry into the church. Some even camped out overnight. Cedric brought some laughter to the occasion when he remarked during the service about
Mac, "This dude is a very popular guy. You know y'all were like, 'Let
me get four tickets to the funeral!' He's still the hottest ticket in
town."
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