Family, friends, co-stars, and hundreds of fans came to pay their respects in honor of Bernie Mac at his Chicago hometown Saturday. The comedian-actor died last weekend from complications due to pneumonia at the age of 50. He is survived by his wife of two decades, Rhonda McCullough, daughter Je’Niece, and granddaughter Jasmine.
When talking to the Associated Press at the service, Richard Daley remembered Mac coming to his office before he died, on how to fight crime in the Windy City.
“He wanted to help get children away from a life of crime and violence” the Mayor continued. “That’s why he’s the king of comedy. He never lost his soul in Chicago.” Among those that also attended was another King of Comedy, Cedric the Entertainer, who said that even in death, Mac was “still the hottest ticket in town”. [AP]
Chris Rock and Samuel L. Jackson were also at the service. Jackson, who also stars in the upcoming Soul Men, stated that he knew Mac had health problems, but was always good to him during shooting. The Oscar-nominated actor went on to say that his late co-star always had time to meet and greet fans.
“He never turned a kid down for an autograph” Jackson complimented. “He always had time to shake a hand. He was always that kid from Chicago who wanted to make everybody happy and everybody laugh.” [AP]
