It has been confirmed by Bernie Mac’s family that the 50-year old commedian has died. Read the story, and see photos and video here.
Bernie Mac
Bernie Mac has been in a Chicago hospital battling pneumonia. For the past week there have been rumors of his death. However, it was only this morning that family members confirmed that he had died.
Bernie Mac was born in Chicago, IL on October 5, 1957. His full name was Bernard Jeffrey McCollough. Because of his large family and his experiences growing up in Chicago’s South Side, Mac had lot of material for his humor. He performed his first standup routine when he was only 8 years old - performing for the church congregation by impersonating his grandparents at the dinner table.
It was tragedy that made Bernie Mac appreciate the healing power of laughing - he lost his mother and both brother early in life. He worked odd jobs to make enough money to live while working on the side to develop his comedy. He was able to establish his own weekly variety show at Chicago’s Regal Theater and joined the comedy club circuit in 1977.
Bernie Mac is known for edgy comedy that, at first, would seem a bad fit fo television. However when he was able to create a sitcom on his own terms, he came up with the Bernie Mac show in 2001. He based the show on family experiences, and the show had a strong debut on Fox. It ran through 2006 and starred Bernie Mac as the father of three adopted kids. The show won an Emmy and a Peabody award.
Video: Bernie Mac comedy (warning: R-rated content)
August 9th, 2008 (4 weeks ago) at 8:31 pm