Comedian and actor Bernie Mac died early on Saturday morning after losing his battle with pneumonia.
The 50-year-old star of Ocean's Eleven and its two sequels passed away at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, a week after being admitted. He had been battling ill health since the start of the month.
Despite predictions that he would be released from hospital within weeks, the star - who had also been suffering from sarcoidosis, a tissue inflammation disease, since 1983 - died on Saturday after experiencing complications from pneumonia, reports TMZ.com.
Born Bernard Jeffery McCullough in Chicago in 1957, the actor began his showbiz career as a stand-up comedian in his home city and he quickly gained popularity for his fast-talking, wise-cracking comedy shtick.
Following his big career break on HBO’s famous Def Comedy Jam show, Mac’s began to secure small acting roles in movies such as 1995’s Friday (starring alongside Ice Cube) and 1997's Booty Call. His increasingly popularity saw him scoring more high-profile parts in Steven Soderbergh’s remake of Ocean's Eleven and its sequels Ocean's Twelve and Ocean's Thirteen. His other movie appearances include Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle, Bad Santa, Guess Who? and last year's Transformers.
He is survived by his wife of more than 30 years, Rhonda McCullough, and their daughter, Je'Niece.
UPDATE: We have also received the sad news that musician and actor Isaac Hayes has died at the age of 65.
The man who is best known for creating the theme for the Blaxploitation classic **Shaft **passed away on Sunday morning at a hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. The cause of death has yet to be confirmed.
According to reports, the songwriter was rushed to Baptist East Hospital after Hayes' wife who found him lying near a treadmill in their home. Police say that foul play is not believed to be factor in the star’s death.
The soul singer broke out with the 1971 Grammy Award-winning Theme From Shaft from the iconic movie, starring actor Richard Roundtree. In addition to music, Hayes appeared in a number of movies, including It Could Happen to You with Nicolas Cage, Ninth Street with Martin Sheen and **Deception **with Ben Affleck.
His distinctive voice also gave life the character of Chef in the cartoon show, South** Park**.