Monday, August 11, 2008
Bernie Mac’s Sister-In-Law Speaks Up
Hollywood suffered a terrible loss over the weekend when actor/comedian Bernie Mac passed away early Saturday morning (August 9).
Mac died in a Chicago area hospital due to complications from pneumonia at the age of fifty, and according to Mac’s sister in law, Mary-Ann Grossett, Rhonda (Mac’s wife of thirty years) and their daughter Je’Niece were with him throughout the duration of his hospital stay.
Grossett tells of her brother in law’s last days, saying: “He struggled for his life. He couldn’t breathe. 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. [The doctors] were working on him. 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.”
As previously reported by Gossip Girls, Mac was suffering from sarcoidosis, described as an inflammatory lung disease that produces tiny lumps of cells in the body’s organs. However, his condition has been in remission since 2005. “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” says Grossett.
Although it was reported that Mac was admitted to the hospital on August, Grossett confirms that he was in fact admitted on July 24 because he was having trouble breathing and running a fever.
The actor was diagnosed with pneumonia and was placed on a ventilator immediately, with Grossett revealing that the doctors kept him sedated and, although he was conscious at times, he managed to contract yet a second strain of pneumonia while in the hospital.
Grossett also speaks of her widowed younger sister Rhonda, recalling her and Bernie’s early years, saying, “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.”
She adds, “They had 30 years of marriage. That’s unprecedented in today’s time, particularly for celebrities. That brings joy to her. They loved each other and respected each other on a daily basis. She was by his side to the very end. She’s devastated. However, she’s at peace about his transition because of her faith in God. Her faith is what is sustaining her.”
Mac’s funeral is scheduled for Saturday, August 16, at an undisclosed location. The family requests that donations be made to the Bernie Mac Foundation for Sarcoidosis, 40 E. Ninth St., Suite 601, Chicago IL 60605.
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Photo Credit: Wenn.com
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posted by at 10:07 AM
View all articles authored by: Jane
related categories ♥ celebrity medical ♥ R.I.P.
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