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Bernie Mac Dies
Bernie Mac, the actor and comedian who teamed up in the casino heist caper "Ocean's Eleven" and gained a prestigious Peabody Award for his sitcom "The Bernie Mac Show," died Saturday at age 50."Actor/comedian Bernie Mac passed away this morning from co
mplications due to pneumonia in a Chicago area hospital," his publicist, Danica Smith, said in a statement from Los Angeles. Mac suffered from sarcoidosis, but had said the condition went into remission in 2005. He recently was hospitalized and treated for pneumonia, which his publicist said was not related to the disease. Mac worked his way to Hollywood success from an impoverished upbringing on Chicago's South Side. He began doing standup as a child, and his film career started with a small role as a club doorman in the Damon Wayans comedy "Mo' Money" in 1992. In 1996, he appeared in the Spike Lee drama "Get on the Bus." He was one of "The Original Kings of Comedy" in the 2000 documentary. Mac went on to star in the hugely popular "Ocean's Eleven" franchise with Brad Pitt and George Clooney. Comedian Carl Reiner, who also appeared in "Ocean's Eleven" and its two sequels, said Saturday he was "in utter shock" because he thought Mac was improving. "He was just so alive. I can't believe he's gone," he said.He drew critical and popular acclaim with his television series "The Bernie Mac Show," which aired more than 100 episodes from 2001 to 2006. The show garnered Golden Globe and Emmy nominations for Mac. He also was nominated for a Grammy award for best comedy album in 2001 along with his "The Original Kings of Comedy" co-stars, Harvey, D.L. Hughley and Cedric The Entertainer. Mac was born Bernard Jeffrey McCullough on Oct. 5, 1957, in Chicago. He grew up on the city's South Side, living with his mother and grandparents. His grandfather was the deacon of a Baptist church. In his 2004 memoir, "Maybe You Never Cry Again," Mac wrote about having a poor childhood and a strict, no-nonsense upbringing. "I came from a place where there wasn't a lot of joy," Mac said. "I decided to try to make other people laugh when there wasn't a lot of things to laugh about."
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