Bernie Mac Dead at 50
 |
James Joyner | Saturday, August 9, 2008 |
Comedian Bernie Mac died early this morning from complications from pneumonia.
Comedian and Chicago native Bernie Mac died early Saturday morning from complications due to pneumonia, his publicist confirmed.
Mac, 50, had been hospitalized for about a week at Northwestern Hospital, according to his spokeswoman. A few years ago, Mac disclosed that he suffered from sarcoidosis, a rare autoimmune disease that causes inflammation in tissue, most often in the lungs.
The comic born Bernard Jeffrey McCullough could cut an imposing figure. He stood 6-foot-3, was built like a fullback and carried himself with a bouncer’s reticence. But perhaps the strongest weapon in the Chicago comedian’s arsenal was that voice, that amalgam of thought and a delivery that could rise like a tidal wave, outpace a Gatling gun and remained, to his last days, loud and unapologetic.
He wasn’t scared, he told us time and again, to tell anyone what he thought, to say what others were afraid to say. That fearlessness wasn’t always welcome, considering Mac didn’t get his big break until his 30s. But when he did, the comic skyrocketed to success in stand-up, television and the big screen.
Truly a shame.
Mac, like many comics, had a propensity to go too far on occaison, as in a recent Barack Obama event, but risk is the nature of the business.
More Bernie Mac at Gone Hollywood:
About the Author: James Joyner is the publisher of Outside the Beltway and the managing editor of the Atlantic Council. He's a former Army officer, Desert Storm vet, and college professor with a PhD in political science from The University of Alabama. He lives just outside the Beltway in Alexandria, Virginia.
Follow James on FriendFeed | Twitter | Digg
- Harvey Korman Dies at 81
- Hillary’s Healthcare Fairy Tale
- Men Prefer Bachelorhood to Bad Marriage
- Suzanne Pleshette Dies, Aged 70
- Larry David Fears Hillary Answering Phone
- Ivan Dixon Dead at 76
- George Carlin Dies at 71
- Randy Pausch, ‘Last Lecture’ Prof, Dies at 47
- Henry Hyde Dead at 83
- Tom Lantos Dies at 80
- Caption Contest Winners
- The Political Economy of the U.S. Mortgage Default Crisis
- The Democrats and the Shock Doctrine
- Obama and Europe
- Supreme Court to Decide on Obama Citizenship
- International Implications of the Drop in Oil Prices (Updated)
- Obama’s Bipartisan Cabinet
- More Votes Found - Franken Hurt
- Caption Contest
- OTB Latenight - Paul Simon
That's too bad.
I always enjoyed his comedy, but could ignore his politics.
Comments are Closed
