FameCrawler : did bernie mac die

Bernie Mac's Funeral - Video

Sassy Smith — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 15:02:00 GMT

The Original King of Comedy, Bernie Mac was laid to rest on Saturday, August 16, in Chicago, and thousands turned out for the service. He was obviously a well-loved actor and comedian by many, not to mention his family, who lost a wonderful husband and father.

Video link after the jump

You can see a small portion of the service here in an exclusive video from ET. Bernie Mac will be greatly missed.

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sweatpantsmom — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 13:05:00 GMT

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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Bernie Mac's Funeral

Sassy Smith — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 06:09:00 GMT

The late, great and beloved Bernie Mac will be laid to rest today, Saturday, August 16, 2008.

Mac will be remembered today at noon at the 10,000 seat House of Hope in Chicago. Bernie's wife Rhonda says with the support of family and friends she finds comfort and she embraces the memories of her life with Mac.

The two met when Rhonda was just 16 and Bernie was 17. Rhonda was instantly smitten with the future actor and comedian.

She fondly remembers, "He said, 'You never seen a black man as pretty as me.' And I said, 'No, I sure haven't.' And he said, 'Girl, you now I'm so beautiful.'"

Months later, on Valentine's Day, Bernie had asked her to come to his classroom so he could give her something. When the Rhonda arrived she was surprised with a first kiss from Bernie. She said, "I said, 'What do you have for me?' And he kissed me. That was our first kiss."

They married in 1977 at age 19, and they had their daughter Je'Niece a year later.

Rhonda says her devastation "comes in waves," and she still feels her late husband's presence. A day after his passing, she listened to Thoughts and Wishes - the couple's song.

Bernie's widow says, "I was singing it and a chill just came over me and I knew it was him. I get through because I know he's in a better place now."

Rest in peace funny man, rest in peace.

To make a donation to The Bernie Mac Foundation for Sarcoidosis, click here for details.

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'Soul Men' Director On Isaac Hayes and Bernie Mac

sweatpantsmom — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 00:42:00 GMT

The director of "Soul Men," the film that stars both Isaac Hayes and Bernie Mac, has fond memories of the two who died this past weekend within 24 hours of each other.

Director Malcolm D. Lee praises Mac's singing, a skill not many people know he possessed. "He definitely can carry a tune," Lee says. "He does a great falsetto in the movie, and a baritone and alto as well. He has a range. He plays a range of emotions in the film as well as octaves."

In the film, which will be released in November, Mac and Samuel L. Jackson play soul singers who agree to reunite to pay tribute to their recently deceased band leader. "They do their own singing and their own dancing in the film," says Lee.

Isaac Hayes plays himself in the film, and Lee says there was no question that the music legend would be a part of the project. "He was written into the script as himself," Lee said. "When I came on, they asked, 'Do you want him in the movie?' and I was like, 'Of course.' Not to include him in the movie would have been sacrilege. I had to have Isaac in the film."

Lee has a poignant memory of the last time he saw Mac on the final day of shooting in April. "When I went to shake his hand and tell him how much I loved him and what a great job he did, he hugged me back and looked me in the eye and said, 'Make a great film, man,' " Lee remembered. "I promised him that I would."

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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

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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.

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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]

Bernie Mac Dead At 50

Sassy Smith — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 14:39:00 GMT

It's a sad day in the world - famous funnyman Bernie Mac has died, at the age of 50.

Although there have been many false reports over the past week of the comedian's death, it's unfortunately true now - he died this morning in Chicago's Northwestern Memorial Hospital, after a long hospitalization from pneumonia.

His rep issued a statement (to TMZ):

"Actor/ comedian Bernie Mac passed away this morning from complications due to pneumonia in a Chicago area hospital. No other details are available at this time. We ask that his family's privacy continues to be respected."

We are so very sorry for the loss his family has suffered. Rest in peace.

[TMZ]

Is Bernie Mac Dead?

sweatpantsmom — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 20:24:00 GMT

See Bernie Mac's emotional memorial service here.

UPDATE: We are sorry to report that Bernie Mac died Saturday morning in a Chicago hospital. Our thoughts go out his family and friends.

Is Bernie Mac dead? Rumors have been circulating about the comedian's death since he was admitted to a hospital last week suffering from pneumonia, but his rep insists that Mac is very much alive.

"Bernie Mac is still alive and being treated in a Chicago hospital for pneumonia and is expected to make a full recovery," his rep, Danica Smith, told People.com. "We once again ask that the press respect his privacy and that of his family."

Mac, 50, has a daughter, 31, and a granddaughter, Jasmine, who is 21 months. In an interview with Jay Leno last year the Oceans Thirteen star spoke fondly of becoming a grandfather. "I love my daughter, but there's a certain feeling, a certain emotion when you got a granddaughter, you know?"

It must be disturbing for family members to hear rumors of a loved one's death, but glad to hear Bernie's still alive. We wish him a speedy recovery!

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