Bernie Mac has passed away

Great Comedian and actor Bernie Mac, 50 died in a Chicago hospital Illinois, USA, on 09 August 2008. A few days before Mac was hospitalized due to pneumonia and it was said that he was responding to the treatment and recovering, so what happened suddenly?

Bernie Mac's publicist has said the comedian's illness was in remission and wasn't related to the pneumonia that killed him at age 50. Still, pneumonia is a frequent complication of sarcoidosis - a mysterious and sometimes devastating immune system disorder that causes cells to cluster and can damage organs throughout the body and the medications people take to control the condition make them vulnerable to infections.  

Mary Ann Grossett, Mac's sister-in-law told PEOPLE that the night before Mac died, "He struggled for his life. He couldn't breathe. Rhonda, Mac's wife since 1977, and their 30-year-old daughter, Je'Niece, were with him when he died. "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." says Grossett.  

In a statement to ET, George Clooney said of his 'Ocean's' co-star, "The world just got a little less funny. He will be dearly missed."  

In 1992 Bernie Mac made his film debut in a small part with Mo' Money (1992). This started a string of small parts in a number of great movies, mostly comedies, including Who's the Man? (1993), House Party 3 (1994) and The Walking Dead (1995). 1995 proved to be a turning point in his career. Mac's first break came in Chicago in 1990 when he won the Miller Lite Comedy Search. He was memorable guesting in the 1993 HBO special "Rosie Perez Presents Society's Ride" which lead to his own one-month HBO series "Midnight Mac" (1995).

Mac also has appeared on that network's "Russell Simmons' Def Comedy Jam" and had a recurring role in the UPN series "Moesha" (1996). The new century brought bigger roles for Mac. In 2000, Mac joined fellow comedians Steve Harvey Cedric The Entertainer and DL Hugley as the foursome took their comedy act throughout the country. Mac was seen, once again on the big screen in "Ocean's Eleven" (2001). Bernie also stared in the movies Bad Santa (2003), Mr. 3000 (2004), Ocean's Twelve (2004) and Guess Who (2005).

Mac's funeral is scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 16, location is not yet disclosed. He will be missed dearly and we are sorry to see him go.