Born into poverty on the South side of Chicago, Bernard McCullough was raised by his mother and grandmother. Inspired as a boy by Bill Cosby, Bernie determined to become a comic to help others overcome the kinds of tragedies he endured as a youngster including the loss of his mother and brother before his tenth birthday. Meeting his wife to be Rhonda in high school was a turning point. They fell in love, got married and had a baby girl before they turned 21. Forced to work to support his family, Bernie took any job he could get including fry cook, delivery man and janitor. But in his off hours he listened for hours to the comedy albums of Richard Pryor, Bill Cosby and others until he summoned the courage to start performing at open mike nights at local clubs. Being paid with beer and cigarettes was ok with Bernie until the money got tight. Luckily, he broke out by winning the Miller Lite Comedy Contest hosted by the Wayans brothers and from there, he went on to performing around the country and ultimately winning national fame on Def Comedy Jam. From there, the Kings of Comedy followed and ultimately, international success with The Bernie Mac Show and a string of hit films. Bernie was at the top of his game when he was struck with a still mysterious disease called Sarcoidosis, an inflammatory condition that can lie dormant for decades before become terminal. Bernie died at the young age of 50 with undoubtedly decades more of comic brilliance lost forever. He remains in the pantheon of top comics of the modern era and is still missed and beloved by millions.
