YES - IT'S TRUE - BERNIE MAC IS DEAD

According to 'Chicago Sun-Times' newspaper and after a few placed calls to some reliable sources, the news is true: Bernie Mac is dead at the age of 50.

The popular comedian passed away at Northwestern Memorial hospital early Saturday morning.

Though the cause of death has not been confirmed, Mac had been hospitalized recently for pneumonia. 'Sun-Times' columnist Stella Foster said that she received calls early Saturday morning from a close friend of the Mac family, confirming the reports of Mac's death.

Word for Word - July 11, 2008

"I got a letter from a girl who said she was listening to one of my songs and every time I hit a particular high note, the garage door would open or close." -- Mariah Carey encounters some unusual problems with her a five-octave vocal range.

Charley Gallay, Getty Images

"Have I ever been totally and completely intimidated by another person? Yes, my husband's mother." -- Madonna fears Guy Ritchie's mom.

Tony Barson, WireImage.com

"There's brilliant jazz - Miles Davis. And there's brilliant rock - Coldplay. And there's brilliant rap - Jiggaman!" -- Jay-Z, tooting his own horn.

Gareth Cattermole, Getty Images

"I'm thinking of getting a tattoo of him on my chest." -- First-time father Usher is planning to ink a tribute to his seven-month-old baby son Usher Raymond V.

Frank Micelotta, Getty Images

The 71-year-old actor says, "I've got to suggest his voice and his speech without making a fool of myself." --Morgan Freeman

John Shearer, WireImage.com

"Bug-A-Boo or Bootylicious. I hate 'em." -- Beyonce Knowles isn't a fan of all her Destiny's Child songs.

George Pimentel, WireImage.com

"I've been working out really hard lately 'cause I'm single now and I've gotta look good!" -- Jessica Simpson shapes up to get back into the dating scene.

Chris Farina, WireImage.com

"When I come home from a club, my wish is to have a huge bowl of Frosted Flakes. I only have it once in a blue moon - because I can't have just one bowl." -- Janet Jackson on her late night snacking choice.

Gregg DeGuire, WireImage.com

His last completed film 'Soul Men', which is scheduled to be released on November 14, paired him with Samuel L. Jackson as two estranged soul-singing legends who agree to participate in a reunion performance at the Apollo Theater to honor their recently deceased band leader.

The Chicago native was last seen on the big screen in 2007 in the blockbuster hit 'Transformers,' where he played the car salesman, Bobby Bolivia.

In 2004, Mac had his first starring role as a retired baseball player in the movie 'Mr. 3000'.

Bernard Jeffrey McCullough was born on October 5, 1957 in Chicago, Illinois. Mac had suffered from sarcoidosis, a tissue inflammation disease, which he repeatedly stated did not affect his daily life.

Mac started as a stand-up comedian in Chicago's Cotton Pickin' Club. He won the Miller Lite Comedy Search at the age of 32, at which point his popularity as a comedian began to grow. A performance on HBO's Def Comedy Jam thrust him into the spotlight. He opened for Dionne Warwick, Redd Foxx and Natalie Cole. He also had a short-lived talk show on HBO titled Midnight Mac. Later, Mac also began acting with minor roles in Ice Cube's 1995 film 'Friday', 'Booty Call', 'How to Be a Player', 'Life' and 'What's the Worst That Could Happen?' and 'Bad Santa'.

Mac was one of the few African American comedic actors to be able to break out of the traditional "black comedy" genre, having roles in the 2001 remake of 'Ocean's Eleven' and becoming the new Bosley for the 'Charlie's Angels' sequel 'Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle'. He also starred in 'Guess Who?', a comedic remake of the film 'Guess Who's Coming to Dinner'. In 2000, Mac continued with his stand-up comedy roots, touring the country as one of 'The Kings of Comedy', along with Steve Harvey, Cedric the Entertainer and D.L. Hughley. The comedy act was filmed by Spike Lee and was included later in the movie 'The Original Kings of Comedy'.

In 2001, Fox gave Mac his own sitcom called 'The Bernie Mac Show', somewhat based on his own life. In the show, he suddenly becomes custodian over his sister's three children after she enters rehab. It was a success in part because it allows Mac to stay true to his stand-up comedy roots, breaking the fourth wall to communicate his thoughts to the audience. The show contained many parodies of events in Bernie's actual life. However, the show was canceled after the 2006 season.

Mac leaves behind his wife since 1977, Rhonda McCullough, daughter Je'Niece, and granddaughter Jasmine.