Actor and comedian Bernie Mac died yesterday due to complications from pneumonia. He spent the last week and a half of his life in a Chicago hospital, with his wife and daughter at his side.  (His publicist denied rumors that his illness was related to a previous bout with sarcoidosis, but said not other details were available for the public at this time.)  He was 50.

While Mac was most famous for his standup work (he was one of "The Original Kings of Comedy") and for the FOX sitcom which bore his name, movie fans remember him best for his unforgettable role as Frank Catton in the "Ocean's Eleven" films.  Genre fans caught a glimpse of Mac in last summer's blockbuster "Transformers".

In an interbiew, Mac said, "I want to have fun. Life ain’t no dress rehearsal. I want to have fun. I’m a comedian; I ain’t no politician. So everything I do is with humor, with love. I ain’t trying to -- I ain’t running for office. I ain’t running for nothing. Only thing I want to do is entertain the people, I want them to be proud when they leave and they can recite something that I said or tell a joke that I told, I’ve done my job."

He is survived by his wife Rhonda and their daughter Je'Neice.

(Source: Variety)