News

Bernie Mac Passes Away

Actor and comedian Bernie Mac passed away on Saturday, August 9 at a Chicago area hospital. Mac was 50 years old.

The comedian was hospitalized this summer due to a particularly nasty bout with pneumonia, from which he was expected to make a full recovery. He also suffered from sarcoidosis, a disease that afflicts sufferers with chronic tissue inflammation. He had been in remission from the disease since 2005. A spokeswoman for Mac said that his battle with pneumonia was not related to sarcoidosis.

Mac was known for his roles in popular films like Ocean's Eleven and its follow ups, as well as his own television show, The Bernie Mac Show, for which he was nominated for two Golden Globes. No further details about Mac's death were available at press time, with his rep requesting that his family's privacy be respected during this sensitive period.

—The ARTISTdirect Staff
08.11.08