Saturday, August 9, 2008

*UPDATED* DETAILS ON BERNIE MAC'S FINAL HOURS; COMEDIAN'S WIFE & DAUGHTER WITH HIM TIL THE VERY END; FUNERAL PLANS MADE.

There's so much we didn't know.

FROM PEOPLE.COMBernie Mac’s wife and daughter were with him until the very end, says the late comic's sister-in-law in a personal and touching interview with PEOPLE that took place Saturday. Speaking of a heartbreaking moment between her younger sister, Rhonda, and the 50-Year-old actor-comedian – who succumbed to complications from pneumonia in a Chicago hospital at 2 a.m. Saturday – Mary Ann Grossett says that the night before Mac died, "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." Rhonda, Mac’s wife since 1977, and their 30-year-old daughter, Je'Niece, 30, were with him when he died. "[The doctors] were working on him," says Grossett. "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."

AFTER THE JUMP, READ ABOUT BERNIE'S WIFE'S REACTION TO HIS DEATH AS WELL AS DETAILS FOR HIS FUNERAL WHICH WILL TAKE PLACE NEXT WEEK.

Prior to that, the couple had last communicated on July 31. "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," says Grossett. The sister-in-law says Mac's inflammatory lung disease contributed to his 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." She reveals that Mac – having trouble breathing and running a fever – was actually hospitalized on July 24, eight days before the date given for his admittance. The actor was diagnosed with pneumonia and immediately placed on a ventilator. "He was critically ill when he was in the hospital," says Gossett. "He was in intensive care the whole time." She adds that doctors kept the star sedated, although he was conscious at times and he contracted a second strain of pneumonia while in the hospital.

Of her widowed sibling (like Mac, Rhonda is 50), Grossett says, "She’s devastated. However, she's at peace about his transition because of her faith in God. Her faith is what is sustaining her." She says of the couple's enduring union, "They had 30 years of marriage. That's unprecedented in today's time, particularly for celebrities. That brings joy to her. They loved each other and respected each other on a daily basis. She was by his side to the very end." Recalling the couple's early years, when they were still in their teens, Grossett says, "When they started dating, he said, 'Girl, you better come on board this train, because I'm going to be rich.' And her response was, 'Okay,' and they were married. That's how he charmed her, with his sense of humor." She adds, "When they got married they were kids. He was 20 and she was 19. They both grew up together, and they both matured in this marriage. What she will treasure the most is the fact that she was his wife for 30 years – and not only was she his wife, but she was his best friend. She's going to miss him dearly."

Mac’s funeral is scheduled for 12 noon on Saturday, August 16, at House of Hope on 11401 S. Prairie in Chicago. The family requests that donations be made to the Bernie Mac Foundation for Sarcoidosis, 40 E. Ninth St., Suite 601, Chicago IL 60605.

READ MORE AFTER THE JUMP!

**EXCLUSIVE BREAKING NEWS** COMEDIAN BERNIE MAC DEAD AT THE AGE OF 50.


Actor, comedian, author and one of the Original Kings of Comedy Bernie Mac is dead at the age of 50. I'd like to send condolences to the family and friends of Bernie who,according to Sun-Times Columnist, Stella Foster, passed away early this morning (Saturday, August 9, 2008) at Northwestern Memorial hospital in Chicago. I was absolutely floored when I my baby sister, who was watching Good Morning America when she learned of the news, rewind the DVR twice to make sure she heard correctly. I rushed to my computer to log on to the Internet hoping this wasn't another celebrity death hoax. Needless to say, I was past astounded upon seeing an article posted on Chicago's Suns-Time website confirming the worse. To say I'm at a lost for words would be an understatement. Mac had been hospitalized recently for pneumonia. Foster said that she received calls early Saturday morning from a close friend of the Mac family, confirming the reports of Mac's death. The columnist also said she was deeply saddened to receive such a phone call just an hour after Mac was pronounced dead. "It brought tears to my eyes because Bernie Mac has always been my all-time favorite entertainer and comedian. It pains me to have to report that," Foster said during a phone interview on Saturday morning.

"[He] passed away this morning from complications due to pneumonia in a Chicago area hospital," his rep, Danica Smith, said in a released statement. "No other details are available at this time. We ask that his family's privacy continues to be respected."

On Friday, a spokeswoman for the actor, whose real name is, Bernard McCullough, said that he had been responding well to treatment for the illness. Publicist Danica Smith said Thursday in a statement that Mac's condition is ''stable.'' Smith first announced on August 1st that Mac was hospitalized in Chicago. Smith has said the pneumonia isn't related to an inflammatory lung disease Mac also has. That condition has been in remission since 2005. Foster noted that last weekend, several web sites reported wrongly that the comedian died. Mac made waves last month with off-color jokes during a fundraiser for Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama.

There is no word on whether public services will be held. Bernie Mac is survived by his wife of over 30 years, Rhonda McCullough; one daughter, Je'Niece (30-years old), a son-in-law and one granddaughter, Jasmine. Bernie was proceeded in death by his mother, Mary, who passed way when Bernie was just 16-years old.

SOURCE: SunTimes.com

BELOW, WATCH MY FAVORITE BERNIE MAC CLIP FROM HIS ORIGINAL KINGS OF COMEDY STAND-UP ROUTINE.



CONTINUE READING THIS STORY AFTER THE JUMP AND FIND OUT HOW BERNIE MAC BECAME ONE OF THE WORLD'S MOST RECOGNIZED COMEDIANS OF HIS TIME! SHARE YOUR FAVORITE BERNIE MAC MOVIE/TV ROLES IN THE COMMENTS SECTION. I'VE ALSO ADDED MOVIE STILLS FROM BERNIE'S LATEST MOVIE, SOUL MEN, STARRING HIM AND SAMUEL L. JACKSON. CHECK THOSE OUT AFTER THE JUMP AS WELL!

Mac started his comedy career at age 8, with a standup performance at a church dinner. In 1977, at age 20, he took that act to comedy clubs in Chicago. His film career started with a small role as a club doorman in the Damon Wayans movie Mo' Money in 1992. Mac went on to star in the Ocean's Eleven franchise with Brad Pitt and George Clooney and his turn with Ashton Kutcher in 2005's Guess Who? — a remake of the Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn 1967 classic Guess Who's Coming to Dinner? — topped the box office. Mac also had starring roles in Bad Santa, Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle and Transformers.

The comedian drew critical and popular acclaim with his Fox television series The Bernie Mac Show, which aired more than 100 episodes from 2001 to 2006. The series about a man's adventures raising his sister's three children, won a Peabody Award in 2002. At the time, judges wrote they chose the sitcom for transcending "race and class while lifting viewers with laughter, compassion — and cool." 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, Steve Harvey, D.L. Hughley and Cedric The Entertainer.

In 2007, Mac told David Letterman on CBS' Late Show that he planned to retire soon. "I'm going to still do my producing, my films, but I want to enjoy my life a little bit," Mac told Letterman. "I missed a lot of things, you know. I was a street performer for two years. I went into clubs in 1977." 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 — eating bologna for dinner — and a strict, no-nonsense upbringing. Mac's mother died of cancer when he was 16. In his book, Mac said she was a support for him and told him he would surprise everyone when he grew up. "Woman believed in me," he wrote. "She believed in me long before I believed."

Foster says she was remembers Bernie's comedic beginnings through his show, Midnight Mac, which aired for four shows on HBO and was taped in Chicago in 1995. "It was a variety entertainment show," she said, "He even had dancers called Macaroni's. That was my first exposure to how talented Bernie Mac was. And after that show, that's when Hollywood started beating down his door."

The actor's upcoming movies include Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa starring Ben Stiller, Chris Rock and David Schwimmer; and Soul Men with Samuel L. Jackson and Isaac Hayes.
If everything works out the way it's supposed to, Samuel L. Jackson and Bernie Mac will be bringing some vintage Stax soul to the big screen this November. Soul Men is about two former backup soul singers Louis (Jackson) and Floyd (Mac) who travel cross country to perform at a tribute concert in honor of their famous former band leader, played by John Legend. They haven't spoken to each other in 20 years but reluctantly agree to travel together for the tribute performance. Both Jackson and Mac will do their own musical and dance performing in the film.

The film is directed by Malcom Lee (Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins with Martin Lawrence) and also stars Sean Hayes, Sharon Leal, Jennifer Coolidge, Isaac Hayes, Affion Crockett, Adam Herschman, Fatso Fasano, and Jackie Long.



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