American actor and comedian Bernie Mac dies at age 50

August 9, 2008 Comedic actor Bernie Mac has died today at the age of 50. According to his publicist, Danica Smith, Mac had been suffering from pneumonia for about a week, potentially related to the actor's sarcoidosis, although it was initially believed that he would make a full recovery. However on August 2, 2008, a day after Mac was hospitalized, a family member was quoted as saying that Mac was in "very, very critical" condition.

Mac, who was born in Chicago on October 5, 1957, started his career in 1977 and won the Miller Lite Comedy Search at the age of 32. He opened for many performers including Dionne Warwick, Redd Foxx and Natalie Cole. In 1993 he appeared in his first film, Who's the Man?. In following years Mac appeared in many television series and movies, most notably the 2001 film Ocean's Eleven. He also had a role in other movies such as Guess Who, the remake of Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?, Bad Santa, and Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle. His television series, The Bernie Mac Show, won him a Peabody Award in 2002 and the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series four years in a row, from 2003 to 2006. The show also earned Mac Emmy and Golden Globe nominations.