Comedian Bernie Mac Dies

Bernie Mac, who made audiences laugh with his films and hit TV show, has died at the age of 50, following complications from Pneumonia, his publicist confirmed on Saturday.

Mac passed away early this morning at a Chicago-area hospital where he was being treated for pneumonia. Mac had suffered from Sarcoidosis, an inflammatory lung disease that produces tiny lumps of cells in the body's organs, however he said the condition had been in remission since 2005.

Mac had starring roles in the films Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle, Oceans Eleven, Bad Santa and Transformers. He was also the star of his own hit TV show The Bernie Mac Show, which ran from 2001-2006.

Niecy Nash, who played Mac's sister on The Bernie Mac Show, paid tribute to the actor, saying :

"Bernie Mac was so gracious. His passing is such a major loss to the acting and comedy communities. Everything that I learned and observed from Bernie Mac, I'm going to apply it. His great legacy of graciousness and giving will live on. That's how I'm going to keep his memory alive; by expressing the best part of him through me. Bernie Mac was the personification of the word 'real.' He kept it real. That kind of genuine spirit that he carried all the time cannot be easily duplicated, but I will do my very best to try."