RIP Bernie Mac | Funeral Service | Memorial

Approximately 6,000 friends, fans, and celebrities attend the funeral service for Bernie Mac held at Chicago's House of Hope church on Saturday.

Mac, born Bernard Jeffrey McCullough, died the previous Saturday at the age of 50 from complications of pneumonia. He had been at Chicago's Northwestern Memorial Hospital since the middle of July.

Traffic was tied up for blocks outside the church and vendors took advantage of the occasion by selling T-shirts for $10 each.

Chicago Mayor Richard Daley said at the memorial service that Mac had visited his office recently. He wanted to know how he could help fight violent crime in the city. Mayor Daly said,

He wanted to help get children away from a life of crime and violence.

A number of celebrities spoke at the service. Steve Harvey, DL Hughley, and Cedric the Entertainer, Mac's co-stars in the documentary The Original Kings of Comedy, also took the stage at the service. After looking over the crowd at the megachurch, Cedric the Entertainer cracked that the comedy king was

still the hottest ticket in town.

Bernie starred in the critically acclaimed TV series The Bernie Mac Show from 2001 to 2006. He appeared in several movies, namely Guess Who? Transformers, and The Ocean's Trilogy.

Shocker | Bernie Mac Dies In Hospital

This is a shocker! Extremely talented comedian and actor Bernie Mac died Saturday morning at a Chicago area hospital. He was admitted to the hospital on August 1, but he was expected to make a full recovery after a few weeks of treatment. Bernie Mac was only 50 years old.

Mac's real name is Bernard McCullough. The name of the hospital is Northwestern Memorial. It is located in Chicago. Berni Mac had an inflammatory lung disease, sarcoidosis, and had been battling pneumonia. His publicist, Danica Smith, confirmed Mac's death in a statement today. She said Mac's bout with pneumonia was unrelated to his sarcoidosis disease.

Mac was best known for his movie roles in the "Ocean's Eleven Trilogy," "Guess Who," and "Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle." His popular television sitcom "The Bernie Mac Show" ran from 2001 to 2006 on the Fox network and earned him a Peabody award, and an Emmy and Golden Globe nomination.

The gifted comedian first achieved national attention after joining "The Kings of Comedy" stand-up tour in 1997 with Steve Harvey, D. L. Hughley, and Cedric the Entertainer.

RIP Bernie Mac. You were one of the Great Ones.


Bernie Mac Funeral | Video

Comedian Bernie Mac Hospitalized | Pneumonia

UPDATE: August 9, 2008 -- BERNIE MAC DIED TODAY IN HOSPITAL

"The Bernie Mac Show" actor and comedian Bernie Mac has been hospitalized for pneumonia. The 50-year-old is responding well to treatment, according to his rep.

Mr. Mac is responding well to treatment and will be released soon. He asked that his privacy and that of his family is respected while he gets well, his rep said.

The rep added that the pneumonia has nothing to do with Bernie Mac suffering from sarcoidosis, an autoimmune disease that causes inflammation of organs.

Check out Bernie Mac's Kings of Comedy act:


Bernie Mac Funeral | Video