Bernie Mac passed away 16 years ago today, yet his influence on comedy still being felt

The untimely death of Bernie Mac took place sixteen years ago on August 9th, and the comic community is still trying to come to terms with the gap in humor he left behind.

Bernie Mac was born on October 5, 1957, as Bernard Jeffrey McCullough. He gained notoriety when he started his career.

The native of Chicago began modestly, telling jokes for money on the metro. He finally made his way to the city’s stand-up clubs before taking first place in a national comedy contest in 1990, which helped launch Mac into the public eye. Before securing his first job in a movie as a club bodyguard in 1992’s “Mo’ Money,” Mac established himself as a regular on websites like ComicView and HBO’s Def Comedy Jam. He played Pastor Clever in the cult movie “Friday” in 1995, which turned into one of his most well-known performances. In 1998, he played Dollar Bill, the vivacious proprietor of a strip club, in the film “The Player’s Club.”

In the 2000 film “The Original Kings of Comedy,” Mac had one of his best performances with D.L. Hughley, Steve Harvey, Cedric The Entertainer, and himself. The show’s last sketch, Mac’s, became one of the most well-known in comic history. Mac had already given many performances of his parody of “Milk and Cookies.”

Nonetheless, Mac received a standing ovation for his performance of it on “The Original Kings of Comedy.” His sitcom, “The Bernie Mac Show,” made its premiere on November 14, 2001, the next year, and it became an instant hit. The show aired till April 14th, 2006, and was largely based on the well-known “Milk and Cookies” gags. Numerous awards were given to the program, including three NAACP Image Awards, a Primetime Emmy, and a Peabody.

Mac tragically died at the age of fifty following a weeks-long hospital stay for pneumonia and complications stemming from his nearly 20-year-old sarcoidosis. The entertainment industry was heartbroken by his passing. Even though Bernie Mac is no longer with us, his contributions have endured.