REST IN PEACE BERNIE MAC

Late comedian Bernie Mac had his wife and daughter by his side until the very last moments of his life, which was cut short by a bout with pneumonia.The wise-cracking sitcom star and "Ocean's Eleven" sidekick will be sadly missed after his untimely death early Saturday morning. The 50 year-old comic had been in the hospital since July 24 when he checked in to receive treatment for pneumonia. It was incorrectly reported last week that Mac had passed. His rep said that he was responding well to treatment at that time, and that the reports were inaccurate.Mac developed pneumonia due to a new drug he was on to treat his chronic autoimmune disorder, sarcoidosis which he's been suffering from for two decades. The drug suppressed his immune system, which made him vulnerable and resulted in pneumonia. Kept sedated in intensive care for most of his time in the hospital, Mac was put on a ventilator and was unable to talk. According to his sister-in-law, "He struggled for his life. He couldn't breathe."Despite the doctors' best efforts, the comedian passed away in a Chicago hospital after his heart failed twice. When his heart failed the first time he was revived by doctors and survived for about an hour until he went into cardiac arrest again. His wife of 31 years, Rhonda, and his daughter, Je’Niece, 30, managed to say their goodbyes. Mary Ann Grossett, the sister of Mac's wife confessed to People.com about the comedian's last moments. "He opened his eyes on his own and looked at Rhonda. 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.""What she (Rhonda) 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 told People.His peers and former co-stars have all spoken out about the entertainment industry's tragic loss including George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Luke Wilson, George Lopez, and even Samuel L. Jackson who stars along with him in this Fall's comedy film "Soul Men.""I lament the loss of a ferociously funny and hardcore family man. My thoughts are with Rhonda and their family. Bernie Mac, you are already missed," Pitt who starred with Mac in "Ocean's 11" revealed, while Clooney expressed his regret saying "The world just got a little less funny. He will be missed dearly."Mac began his career as a stand up comedian over 30 years ago. He went on to his own sitcom on Fox, "The Bernie Mac Show," in 2001, and featured roles in films such as "Ocean’s 11," and "Charlie’s Angels." He planned to retire after he finished work on his film "The Whole Truth," "Nothing but the Truth," "So Help Me Mac." Last year, he confessed to David Letterman that he wanted to focus on producing and spending time with his family and that "I want to enjoy my life a little bit. I missed a lot of things, you know."

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