Bernie Mac (1957-2008)

[Janice]

Sister-in-Law Speaks of Mac's Last Hours

Bernie 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." Read More Details on PEOPLE.com

Mac suffered from sarcoidosis, an inflammatory lung disease that produces tiny lumps of cells in the body's organs, 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's family had expected him to fully recover from the bout of pneumonia that put him in a hospital three weeks ago, his daughter said Sunday.
However, Je'niece Childress said that as time passed she and her mother braced for the possibility that he could die.

Childress said Mac had been at Northwestern Memorial Hospital since the middle of July.

"Initially when he was hospitalized we expected him to come back home, but as the weeks went on, I kind of knew," Childress told The Associated Press.

Mac, born Bernard Jeffrey McCullough in Chicago, got his start doing standup as a child. His successful career included his own Fox television series, "The Bernie Mac Show" and starring roles in "Ocean's Eleven," "Bad Santa," "Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle" and "Transformers."

Childress said Mac, who maintained a home in the south Chicago suburb of Frankfort, was a loving father, husband and grandfather. Childress, 30, is his only child, and has a 1-year-old daughter. She said her mother, Rhonda McCullough, and Mac were married for 32 years.

"He was a hard man and he made no apologies for that," Childress said.

"When it came to me and my mother and my daughter he was the softest."

Recently, Mac's brand of comedy caught him some flack when he joked about menopause, sexual infidelity and promiscuity at a July fundraiser for Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama. Obama's campaign later said the jokes were "inappropriate."

"I kind of figured he was going to get a lot of backlash," Childress said.

"Telling that joke at that time probably wasn't the best idea, but that's him."

Children said there was always laughter in their home.

"Because that's just who he was," Childress 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," Childress said. "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."

She said funeral arrangements were pending. Smith said a public memorial would be held next weekend at House of Hope in Chicago.

[comedyfreak]

Wow, I just found out. How sad, I knew he had a condition after his series ended or right before. This is surprising news and very sad. RIP Mac man.

[Lee]

Rest in peace

[Kathy1978]

YOU WILL BE MISSED AND WILL ALWAYS BE LOVED AND REMEMBERED!!!!

[isiahthomas]

Very sad day when Bernie died and i couldn't believe it. I miss him and i still can't believe he's gone. I liked his movies The Players Club, How To Be A Player, Life, Friday, House Party 3. I like the scene in How To Be A Player when he came home from work and he was talking to his wife Beverly Johnson who used to be a model. He said baby it smells like badussy in here. Booty, d*ck and pus*y hahahahahahahahahahahaha. Before he went in the house, Bill Bellamy's friends were in the car and he cursed them out because they were playing their music loud. Bernie said cut your f*cking music down. My lovely wife's trying to get some rest. People live on this block, you beige muthaf*cka LOL. F*ck yourself man. I hate you young sons of b*tches LOL. You don't do sh*t. You don't vote. All you do is eat, sleep and f*ck LOL. That's alright, your momma's a man hahahahahahahahaha.


I also love the classic scene in The Players Club movie when he cursed out John Amos and Faizon Love because they arrested two strippers that were involved in a murder charge. Bernie said to John and Faizon when they were getting in the police car, i'm suing both of ya'll cause you ain't got no warrants and you ain't got nothing. You ugly muthaf*cka LOL. You know god damn well Freeman, you wrong man. All the pus*y i done hooked your ass up with LOL. You better wear your bulletproof vest all day, all muthaf*cking day LOL. You too you fat muthaf*cka hahahahahahahahahahahaha. RIP Bernie. You were so funny and i'll miss you.

[TMC]

Actor Jeremy Suarez, known for the role of Jordan on 'The Bernie Mac Show'; sits down with HYPE+ to detail his reaction to the passing of Bernie Mac.