Comedian Bernie Mac hospitalized in Chicago with pneumonia

Comedian Bernie Mac is reportedly in "very, very critical" condition in a Chicago hospital with pneumonia.
The Chicago Sun-Times, citing a source with ties to Mac's family, first reported on his dire condition Sunday and said his wife, Rhonda McCullough, was at his side.
A spokeswoman for Mac did not address the Sun-Times report, only referring Sunday to her statement Saturday in which she called rumors that the star was dead "absolutely untrue."
Publicist Danica Smith said the TV funnyman, whose real name is Bernard McCullough, is responding well to treatment and should be released soon. Smith, who was unsure when her client first entered the hospital, said the pneumonia is unrelated to Mac's sarcoidosis, a chronic disease that can inflame tissue, particularly in the lungs. The 50-year-old Mac's sarcoidosis has been in remission since 2005, she said.
Mac, a Chicago native, was a school bus driver for the handicapped before breaking into standup comedy three decades ago. He landed a series of big screen roles in the 1990s in flicks like "House Party 3," "Friday" and Spike Lee's "Get on the Bus." His biggest fame came with "The Original Kings of Comedy" in 2000 and "Ocean's Eleven" in 2001. age of conan gold
But it was the debut of his self-titled TV comedy, "The Bernie Mac Show," that year that made his a household name. The series was canceled in 2006.