Bernie Mac is remembered as a hilarious, lighthearted comedian to most, but for those close to him, the memories of a man struggling for his last breath are chilling.
Mac, who died of complications from pneumonia in a Chicago hospital at 2 a.m. Saturday, was with his wife and daughter until the end.
Mac’s sister-in-law, Mary Ann Grossett, told People magazine that the night before Mac died, “[h]e struggled for his life. He couldn’t breathe.”
“He opened his eyes on his own and looked at Rhonda [Mac’s wife]. She called his name, and he opened his eyes and nodded to her. She smiled at him and told him, ‘Don’t leave me ... ‘I’m waiting for you to come back.’ He shrugged his shoulders, and she said that’s when she knew he was tired. He signaled to her that his body was tired.”
Rhonda, Mac’s wife since 1977, and their 30-year-old daughter, Je’Niece, were with him when he died. “[The doctors] were working on him,” Grossett told the magazine. “They tried to resuscitate him two times. One time he came back for about an hour. Then he went into cardiac arrest the second time.”
The sister-in-law says Mac’s inflammatory lung disease contributed to his death. “He had sarcoidosis, but it was in remission,” she told the magazine. “But because he had it, his immune system was compromised. He had an infection ... He was on a new medication that suppresses the immune system, and that’s where the pneumonia came from.”
Mac and his wife were married for 30 years, and it was with his sense of humor he charmed his lady.
Grossett said that when the couple were still in their teens, Mac knew just what to say to win over her sister.
“When they started dating, he said, ‘Girl, you better come on board this train, because I’m going to be rich.’ And her response was, ‘Okay,’ and they were married. That’s how he charmed her, with his sense of humor.”
What she will treasure the most is the fact that she was his wife for 30 years—and not only was she his wife, but she was his best friend. She’s going to miss him dearly,” Grossett added.
Mac’s funeral is scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 16, at an undisclosed location.
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