This tragic news was unexpected to say the least. Comedian and actor Bernie Mac has passed away apparently from complications arising from pneumonia. CNN gives us this:
Comic actor Bernie Mac died early Saturday of complications from pneumonia, according to a family member and his publicist. He was 50. Bernie Mac Bernie Mac, 50, had been hospitalized in his hometown, Chicago, with pneumonia. He had been hospitalized in Chicago, Illinois, for more than a week with the lung infection.
Danica Smith, the comedian’s publicist, had said Thursday that Mac’s condition was “stable,” The Associated Press reported. “When I got the call this morning, it was just devastating news,” said Chicago Sun-Times columnist Stella Foster. “Let’s face it: Bernie Mac was one of a kind. He was the best of the best in terms of giving you a good laugh.” Smith previously said the pneumonia wasn’t related to sarcoidosis, a lung disease Mac had, which had been in remission since 2005, according to AP.
What a sad day. Mac was never my favorite comedian in the world, nor my favorite actor, but from all accounts he was a genuinely good human being who brought a lot of smiles and a lot of laughs to a lot of people throughout his career. To me he’ll always be the used car salesman who got punked by Bumblebee (come on… he was hilarious in Transformers!). Damn, I wasn’t even aware he was sick. Sad day.