The world is going to be quieter without actor/comedian Bernie Mac and soul legend Isaac Hayes.
Both men died a day apart. They are both featured in the movie Soul Men that is scheduled to be released in November 2008.
Bernard Jeffrey McCullough
“Bernie Mac”
October 5, 1957 –
August 9, 2008
Chicago comedian Bernie Mac died at age 50 on Saturday, August 9, 2008.
"Actor/comedian Bernie Mac passed away this morning from complications due to pneumonia in a Chicago area hospital," his publicist, Danica Smith, said in a statement from Los Angeles.
No other details were immediately available and the family asked that their privacy be respected.
Mac suffered from sarcoidosis, an inflammatory lung disease that produces tiny lumps of cells in the body’s organs, but had said the condition went into remission in 2005. He recently was hospitalized and treated for pneumonia, which Smith said was not related to the disease.
Ironically, it was just just last weekend that rumors flew around that he had passed away. Unfortunately that rumor became reality this morning.
Bernie Mac was also in te news recently when he was heckled during a surprise appearance at a July fundraiser for Democratic presidential candidate and fellow Chicagoan Barack Obama.
Toward the end of a 10-minute standup routine, Mac joked about menopause, sexual infidelity and promiscuity, and used occasional crude language. The performance earned him a rebuke from Obama’s campaign.
Mac started his comedy career at age 8, with a standup performance at a church dinner. In 1977, at age 20, he took that act to comedy clubs in Chicago.
His film career started with a small role as a club doorman in the Damon Wayans movie "Mo’ Money" in 1992. Mac went on to star in the "Ocean’s Eleven" franchise with Brad Pitt and George Clooney and his turn with Ashton Kutcher in 2005’s "Guess Who?" – a remake of the Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn 1967 classic "Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner?" – topped the box office.
Mac also had starring roles in "Bad Santa," "Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle" and "Transformers."
The comedian drew critical and popular acclaim with his Fox television series "The Bernie Mac Show," which aired more than 100 episodes from 2001 to 2006.
The series about a man’s adventures raising his sister’s three children, won a Peabody Award in 2002. At the time, judges wrote they chose the sitcom for transcending "race and class while lifting viewers with laughter, compassion – and cool."
The show garnered Golden Globe and Emmy nominations for Mac. He also was nominated for a Grammy award for best comedy album in 2001 along with his "The Original Kings of Comedy" co-stars, Steve Harvey, D.L. Hughley and Cedric The Entertainer.
In 2007, Mac told David Letterman on CBS’ "Late Show" that he planned to retire soon.
"I’m going to still do my producing, my films, but I want to enjoy my life a little bit," Mac told Letterman. "I missed a lot of things, you know. I was a street performer for two years. I went into clubs in 1977."
Mac was born Bernard Jeffrey McCullough on Oct. 5, 1957, in Chicago. He grew up on the city’s South Side, living with his mother and grandparents. His grandfather was the deacon of a Baptist church.
In his 2004 memoir, "Maybe You Never Cry Again," Mac wrote about having a poor childhood – eating bologna for dinner – and a strict, no-nonsense upbringing.
Mac’s mother died of cancer when he was 16. In his book, Mac said she was a support for him and told him he would surprise everyone when he grew up.
"Woman believed in me," he wrote. "She believed in me long before I believed."
Isaac Lee Hayes, Jr.
August 20, 1942 –
August 10, 2008
As of the printing of this edition, an autopsy has yet to be completed on Isaac Hayes, but authorities in Memphis said Tuesday that the soul legend apparently died of a stroke.
Sheriff’s spokesman Steve Shular said that paperwork filed by Hayes’ family physician, Dr. David Kraus, lists the cause of death as a stroke, reports The Associated Press.
No official determination has been released by the medical examiner’s office or filed with the Memphis health department, which issues death certificates.
On Sunday, August10, 2008, family members found Hayes laying unconscious on the floor of his Memphis home beside a treadmill that was still running. He was pronounced dead at a local hospital an hour later.
Relatives said Hayes was under a doctor’s care but did not provide further details.
The family issued the following statement: "We are overwhelmed with the outpouring of support and love from Isaac’s dear friends, colleagues and fans from every corner of the world, and we thank each and every one of them for their kind thoughts and prayers. While he was an iconic figure to many, to us he was husband, father and friend. We will ever miss his love, wisdom, humor and the familiar comfort of his voice."
Isaac Hayes is survived by his wife of three years Adjowa Hayes, and their 2-year-old son Kwadjo Hayes; ten children, Jacqueline Fields, Felecia Hayes Fisher, Veronica Hayes, Vincent Hayes, Melanie Hayes, Nikki McGhee, Heather Hayes, Isaac Hayes III, Darius Caston and Lillian Bryant; 14 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held in Cordova, Tennessee on August 18, 2008 at Hope Presbyterian Church (8500 Walnut Grove) from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
To celebrate Hayes constant support of the Stax Music Academy and his Stax Records Legacy, the Hayes family, in lieu of flowers, requests that donations be sent to the Stax Music Academy in Memphis, made out to Soulsville, 926 E. McLemore Avenue, Memphis, TN 38106. (Please specify "In memory of Isaac Hayes.") Condolences may be sent to the family at message@isaachayes.com.
Ashanti, whose hit "Rain on Me" sampled Hayes’ 1970 hit "The Look of Love," spoke to People magazine about his influence on her generation of singers.
"Isaac Hayes helped pave the way for so many artists like myself," said the singer. "I also had the honor of meeting him several times – he was always so sweet like an older uncle."
Also commenting on Hayes’ passing is Richard Roundtree, who played the title character of the 1971 movie, "Shaft," for which Hayes’s movie theme song won both an Oscar and a Grammy.
"He was a warm, gentle soul," Roundtree told People magazine. "During those special times when you were with someone that you fancied, if you put on Isaac Hayes, it set a really romantic mood. You’d put on Isaac Hayes and follow it with Barry White, and it was a special evening."
Reprinted with permission: www.eurweb.com.
