FameCrawler : bernie mac dead at 50

Bernie Mac Was Expected To Recover

trix — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 21:46:00 GMT

Bernie Mac was well loved as a man, husband, father and grandfather and no one expected him to get pneumonia, let alone die. His family thought he was going to come home after routine treatment.

His daughter, Je'niece Childress, said Sunday, that family had expected him to fully recover from the bout of pneumonia that put him in a hospital three weeks ago. She told the Associated Press, "'Initially when he was hospitalized we expected him to come back home, but as the weeks went on, I kind of knew."

The family is devastated.

Je'niece said, there was always laughter in their home. She also said '' I'm sad that my daughter will never know or be able to feel how much he loved her. I think he will always be remembered as one of the original kings of comedy, I think what made him so special to people was that even though he was a celebrity he just seemed so down to earth and so much like a part of your family.''

The Funeral arrangements have yet to be finalized, but there will be a public Memorial held at The House Of Hope in Chicago next weekend.

UPDATE : Memorial Info

Bernie Mac's Final Moments -Wife & Daughter By His Side

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Bernie Mac Dead At 50

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Bernie Mac's Final Moments -Wife & Daughter By His Side

Sassy Smith — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 04:39:00 GMT

Although the world grieves the loss of a great comedian and actor, no one is feeling more devastated than Bernie Mac's family. His wife Rhonda, of 30 years and his daughter Je'Niece, were by his side during his last moments. Rhonda's sister spoke of their last, heartbreaking time together.

Mary Ann Grossett told PEOPLE of her sister and Bernie's final time together:

The night before he passed away, Bernie struggled to breath. Mary Ann says, "He struggled for his life. He couldn't breathe.

"He opened his eyes on his own and looked at Rhonda. She called his name, and he opened his eyes and nodded to her. She smiled at him and told him, 'Don't leave me … 'I'm waiting for you to come back.' He shrugged his shoulders, and she said that's when she knew he was tired. He signaled to her that his body was tired."

Both Rhonda and Mac's daughter were by his side when he died. Grossett continues, "[The doctors] were working on him. They tried to resuscitate him two times. One time he came back for about an hour. Then he went into cardiac arrest the second time."

Mac and his wife had had non verbal communication for the last time on July 31. Sister-in-law Mary Ann says, "He told his wife [non-verbally] that he could breathe on his own, and he wanted the ventilator out. He motioned that he wanted it out."

Gossett said that lung disease contributed to her brother-in-law's death.

"He had sarcoidosis, but it was in remission," she says. "But because he had it, his immune system was compromised. He had an infection ... He was on a new medication that suppresses the immune system, and that's where the pneumonia came from."

Mac was admitted to the hospital on July 24 as he was having trouble breathing and running a fever. He was then diagnosed with pneumonia and placed on a ventilator.

Mac's sister-in-law adds, "He was critically ill when he was in the hospital. He was in intensive care the whole time." The 50-year-old comedian was kept sedated, and sometimes conscious but he contracted a second strain of pneumonia while admitted.

Mary Ann says of her sister's reaction to Mac's death, "She’s devastated. However, she's at peace about his transition because of her faith in God. Her faith is what is sustaining her."

Bernie and Rhonda were married in 1977 - they had a 30 year union, which in this day and age is rare and even more so in the 'celebrity world.' Their daughter made Mac a granddaddy 21-months ago.

To read the rest of the interview with Bernie's sister-in-law, go here.

Here are a couple of photos - Bernie's daughter and her husband, and his grandbaby Jasmine.

[Source,source]

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Stars Pay Tribute To Bernie Mac

Sassy Smith — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 18:47:00 GMT

Although it was just an untrue rumor last week, sadly, it's a truth today - one of the greatest comedians ever, Bernie Mac has died. And friends and colleagues are paying tribute to the late actor after hearing the devastating news.

Here's what some of his peers had to say:

George Clooney:

"The world just got a little less funny. He will be dearly missed."

Chris Rock:

"Bernie Mac was one of the best and funniest comedians to ever live but that was the second best thing he did. Bernie was one of the greatest friends a person could have. Losing him is like losing 12 people because he absolutely filled up any room he was in. I'm gonna miss the Mac Man."

Don Cheadle:

"This is a very sad day for many of us who knew and loved Bernie. He brought so much joy to so many. He will be missed but heaven just got funnier."

Oceans 11 co-star Carl Reiner:

“It’s a tremendous loss because of his age and the fact that he was such a vital, original human being. When I use the word 'original' I really mean it. He was like no other person I knew. He lived his life to the fullest, even when we were on the set of Oceans. He had his own little apartment and he cooked and invited people to lunch every day and he had food that was for everybody. He made very exotic things. His conversations were always different that any conversations I had with anyone else. They were very family oriented; he talked about his wife and children with such love and it’s very hard to believe that he’s not with us anymore.”

Actress/comedienne Niecy Nash:

Nash played Mac's little sister on the hit television series The Bernie Mac Show and acted opposite him in the 2005 film Guess Who said this about her friend and mentor: "His passing is such a major loss to the acting and comedy communities. Bernie Mac was the personification of the word 'real.' He kept it real. That kind of genuine spirit that he carried all the time cannot be easily duplicated, but I will do my very best to try."

Bernie Mac has one daughter, Je'Niece and one granddaughter, toddler Jasmine.

[Source]