Chicago woke up on Saturday to the sad news that one of it's own - Bernard Jeffrey McCullough - or Bernie Mac as he was fondly called, had passed away earlier that morning from complications due to pneumonia.
He was only 50 years old.
Bernie Mac was a son of Chicago, born in the South Side of the city. Although he rose to fame and fortune through stand-up comedy acts, film, and his acclaimed 'Bernie Mac Show', he never turned his back on the city, making Chicago - especially the South Side - his permanent residence. He had 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.
Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojavich on Saturday called Mac "a favorite son."
"He never forgot that he was a kid who grew up on Chicago's South Side," Blagojevich said in a statement. "Because of his Chicago roots, we picked Bernie Mac to be the face of the state lottery -- his passion, enthusiasm and humor helped make that one of our most successful, and funniest, campaigns."
Fans and friends of the Chicago comedian are invited to a public memorial celebrating Mac's life.
Services are scheduled for noon Saturday in the 10,000-seat House of Hope, 752 E. 114th St., Chicago, said Danica Smith, Mac's publicist. Donations in Mac's honor may be sent to the Bernie Mac Foundation for Sarcoidosis, 40 E. 9th St., Suite 601, Chicago, IL 60605, Smith said.
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