The Dead Thread

Ollie Johnston, the last of Disney's "Nine old Men"

http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/entertainment_movies_blog/2008/04/ollie-johnston.html

Dr Albert Hofmann The Inventor of LSD
January 11 1906 - April 29 2008

Albert Hofmann Foundation

Gary Ewing, light show artist (and fellow Cleveland High School Grad.)
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/1209608703155670.xml&coll=7

Although this is about a week old, gotta say I loved the song "I Go Crazy"

Paul Davis, a singer and songwriter whose soft rock hit “I Go Crazy" stayed on the charts for months after its release in 1977, died Tuesday. He was 60. Davis

Paul Davis' hits included “I Go Crazy," “ '65 Love Affair" and “Cool Night."

Davis died of a heart attack at Rush Foundation Hospital in Meridian, the city where he grew up, cousin James Edwards said.

Davis' other popular hits included “65 Love Affair;" “You're Still New To Me," a country duet with Marie Osmond; and “Ride 'Em Cowboy."

His 1977 album “Singer of Songs -- Teller of Tales" featured the ballad “I Go Crazy." The song slowly climbed the charts, peaking at No. 7 eight months after its release, according to Billboard's Web site. The song stayed in the Top 100 for 40 weeks, according to Billboard -- a record at the time for the magazine's Hot 100 chart. The mark has since been surpassed many times; the current record holder is LeAnn Rimes' “How Do I Live," which stayed on the Hot 100 for 69 weeks.

Davis spent part of his early career in Jackson at Malaco Records, company President Tommy Couch said.

Couch said Davis arrived at Malaco with his writing partner, George Soule, around 1968.

After Davis left Jackson, he moved to New York, Nashville and then back to Meridian, Couch said.

Edwards said his cousin had returned to Mississippi to retire.

Recording engineer Larry Levine
May 8, 1928 - May 8, 2008
Worked with Phil Spector to develop "Wall of Sound"
Los Angeles Times

Artist Robert Rauschenberg
1925- 5/12/2008
Yahoo! News

This thread reminds me of my father - he'll sit around the breakfast table reading the obits! I guess the closer you get to it the more interesting it becomes!

It's more along the lines of honoring the fallen, Bead, many of whom have disapperaed from public view for ages.

This one is a few days late. One of the few vineyards I toured and tasted during my visits to Northern California was the Robert Modavi vineyard. I also visited Beringer (mainly because of Falcon Crest), but Mondavi was my favorite; especially, the walks through the vineyard and the tastings.

Robert Mondavi, 94; vintner was a powerful ambassador for California wine
One of the best-known figures in American viticulture, he had little formal training in making wine. His exile from the family business became the stuff of legend.

Robert Mondavi, the pioneering Napa Valley vintner whose drive and salesmanship revolutionized the way the world thought about California wine, died peacefully Friday at his Yountville, Calif., home, a spokeswoman for the Robert Mondavi Winery said. He was 94.

Robert Mondavi obit

John Phillip Law has passed. A bit late in the notice, I just found out.

Sad news indeed.

Even more so that we just watched Danger Diabolik over the weekend.

Rest in peace, Pygar.

News update: Mary Jo Kopechne-- still dead.

Teddy Kennedy, not so much.

On 2008-05-21 11:21, pappythesailor wrote:
News update: Mary Jo Kopechne-- still dead.

Teddy Kennedy, not so much.

WOW...

That's water under the bridge...

[ Edited by: Bogielocks 2008-05-21 23:15 ]

On 2008-05-21 23:15, Bogielocks wrote:

On 2008-05-21 11:21, pappythesailor wrote:
News update: Mary Jo Kopechne-- still dead.

Teddy Kennedy, not so much.

WOW...

That's water under the bridge...

[ Edited by: Bogielocks 2008-05-21 23:15 ]

I'm with pappy on this. I was growing up in CT when Chappaquiddick happened. Mary Jo was a shining star on the Bobby Kennedy team. Most people back then seemed to have the impression that Teddy insisted on driving her back to where she was staying after a gathering at the Kennedy beach house (if I recall correctly) and that Teddy was most probably drunk and trying to hit on her when he lost control of his car at the entrance to the bridge he drove off.

Chappaquiddick Incident Summary

I'm pretty sure that great things would have happened in her career based on her service in Bobby's campaign. I've never let that one go myself. I understand it, but she was a victim. I can appreciate how Teddy has conducted himself since her death and the assassinations of his brothers, and I hope Teddy conquers this latest challenge, but for me, Mary Jo has never been water under the bridge.

Photojournalist Cornell Capa
April 10, 1918 - May 23, 2008

Yahoo! News

Dick Martin of 'Laugh-In' Fame Dies

LOS ANGELES (May 25) - Dick Martin, the zany half of the U.S. comedy team whose "Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In" took television by storm in the 1960s, making stars of Goldie Hawn and Lily Tomlin and creating such national catch-phrases as "Sock it to me!" has died. He was 86.

TV funnyman Dick Martin died on Saturday at the age of 86, following a long battle with respiratory troubles. During his 50-year career in television he appeared on dozens of sitcoms.

Martin, who went on to become one of television's busiest directors after splitting with Rowan in the late 1970s, died Saturday night of respiratory complications at a hospital in Santa Monica, family spokesman Barry Greenberg said.

"He had had some pretty severe respiratory problems for many years, and he had pretty much stopped breathing a week ago," Greenberg said. Martin was surrounded by family and friends when he died just after 6 p.m., Greenberg said.

"Laugh-in," which debuted in January 1968, was unlike any comedy-variety show before it. Rather than relying on a series of tightly scripted song-and-dance segments, it offered up a steady, almost stream-of-consciousness run of non-sequitur jokes, political satire and madhouse antics from a cast of talented young actors and comedians that also included Ruth Buzzi, Arte Johnson, Henry Gibson, Jo Anne Worley and announcer Gary Owens.

Presiding over it all were Rowan and Martin, the veteran nightclub comics whose standup banter put their own distinct spin on the show.

Like all straight men, Rowan provided the voice of reason, striving to correct his partner's absurdities. Martin, meanwhile, was full of bogus, often risque theories about life, which he appeared to hold with unwavering certainty.

Very sad. Watching that show were some of my very earliest memories as a kid.

Director Sydney Pollack dies at 73 in Los Angeles

Academy Award-winning director Sydney Pollack, a Hollywood mainstay who achieved commercial success and critical acclaim with the gender-bending comedy "Tootsie" and the period drama "Out of Africa" while often dabbling as a television and movie actor, has died. He was 73. Pollack died of cancer Monday afternoon at his home in Pacific Palisades in Los Angeles, surrounded by family, said publicist Leslee Dart. Pollack had been diagnosed with cancer about nine months ago, said Dart.

On 2008-05-25 10:39, VampiressRN wrote:
"He had had some pretty severe respiratory problems for many years, and he had pretty much stopped breathing a week ago," Greenberg said. Martin was surrounded by family and friends when he died just after 6 p.m., Greenberg said.

"Laugh-in," which debuted in January 1968, was unlike any comedy-variety show before it. Rather than relying on a series of tightly scripted song-and-dance segments, it offered up a steady, almost stream-of-consciousness run of non-sequitur jokes, political satire and madhouse antics from a cast of talented young actors and comedians that also included Ruth Buzzi, Arte Johnson, Henry Gibson, Jo Anne Worley and announcer Gary Owens.

They neglected to mention Goldie Hawn, who was their resident airhead. They also featured lots of cameo appearances such as Sammy Davis Jr, who showed up from time to time as a courtroom judge. He'd always sing, "Here come da judge, here come da judge..."

Even back then you has to realize that it would be amazing if Rowan and Martin would survive beyond their 70s. Dan Rowan pretty much chain smoked throughout each show. Even if he hadn't been a smoker, the second-hand smoke from hanging with Dan should have given Dick respiratory problems.

We're lucky to have experienced their art. Their Laugh-In creation has had a strong influence in comedic delivery through entertainment media since then. It would be great for someone to start a new Laugh-In.

[ Edited by: The Gnomon 2008-05-27 06:53 ]

Folk singer Bruce U. "Utah" Phillips died of congestive heart failure on May 23, 2008. He was 73.

Utah Phillips Page

Canadian Press: Utah Phillips

His composition "Moose Turd Pie" was a favorite on Dr Demento's radio show.

Bob Dale has passed away at 83.
He was a San Diego news man (mostly weather) in San Diego for over 40 years. He wore the bowtie.
In the 60s he also hosted a national TV show about animals filmed at The San Diego Zoo.

Paul McCartney :(

http://digilander.libero.it/jamespaul/fc1.html

Ahh man, Harvey Korman died. :(

"What about my mother?...."

http://www.greyhoundog.org

[ Edited by: Mr. NoNaMe 2008-05-29 18:40 ]

That stinks about Harvey Korman. He was fantastic on the Carol Burnett show but I preferred his work in Blazing Saddles and as The Great Gazoo!

[ Edited by: Bora Boris 2008-05-29 22:15 ]

-Film and Television director Joseph Pevney
1911-5/18/2008
New York Times: Joseph Pevney

He directed the Star Trek episodes "Trouble with Tribbles" and "City on the Edge of Forever"

• Composer Alexander Courage
  12/10/1919-5/15/2008
  NPR: Alexander Courage
  Composed the Star Trek (original series) opening theme song. He mouthed the whooshing sound heard when the Enterprise zooms by.
  Did you know that the Star Trek (original series) theme had lyrics?
  Urban Legends: Star Trek Theme

-Musical Talent Earle H. Hagen
7/9/1919-5/26/2008
CNN: Earle Hagen
Wrote the opening theme to many TV shows including "The Whistler" for The Andy Griffith Show and co-wrote the jazz classic "Harlem Nocturne"

[ Edited by: KING BUSHWICH THE 33RD 2008-05-30 14:37 ]

On 2008-05-29 22:03, Bora Boris wrote:
That stinks about Harvey Korman. He was fantastic on the Carol Burnett show but I preferred his work in Blazing Saddles and as The Great Gazoo!

Harvey's passing hit me especially hard. His dry humor and spot-on delivery made for some of the funniest moments in TV and cinema. A standout scene from Blazing Saddles

HK - Meeting is adjourned. Oh, I'm sorry. You say that.
MB - Say what?
HK - Meeting is adjourned
MB - It is?
HK - No, you SAY that.
MB - Say what?
HK - Meeting is adjourned
MB - It is?

PARIS (June 1) - Legendary designer Yves Saint Laurent, who reworked the rules of fashion by putting women into elegant pantsuits that came to define how modern women dressed, died Sunday evening, a longtime friend and associate said. He was 71.

Bo Diddley R.I.P.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/SHOWBIZ/Music/06/02/diddley.obit/index.html

Dr Fredric J. Baur, inventor of the Pringles can.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/2065818/Designer-of-Pringles-buried-in-crisp-tube.html

Artist Alton Kelley
6/17/1940- 6/1/2008
Washington Post: Alton Kelley

On 2008-06-05 10:57, King Bushwich the 33rd wrote:
Artist Alton Kelley
6/17/1940- 6/1/2008
Washington Post: Alton Kelley

Although he was credited with that logo, all he actually did was color it in.
The original artist was Edmund J. Sullivan .

Jim McKay, the esteemed sportscaster who hosted ABC's popular World Wide of Sports for over 40 years and whose haunting coverage of the terrorist attack at the 1972 Munich Olympics etched itself in American consciousness, died Saturday at his farm in Monkton, Md. He was 86.

According to a statement released to ESPN by his family, McKay died of natural causes, ironically on the same day that his favorite sport, horseracing, was to hold one of its signature events, the Belmont Stakes, with Big Brown seeking to become the first Triple Crown winner in 30 years.

"There are no superlatives that can adequately honor Jim McKay. He meant so much to so many people. He was a founding father of sports television, one of the most respected commentators in the history of broadcasting and journalism," ESPN and ABC Sports president George Bodenheimer said.

In 1961, the iconic commentator was hired as the emcee of World Wide of Sports and quickly became known for his low-key, stately voice that graced the introduction of the Saturday afternoon broadcast and whose "the thrill of victory...and the agony of defeat" became a national catchphrase.

McKay was the first television sports journalist to win an Emmy. He wound up with 13 trophies in all, one of them in the news category for his grim narration of the tragedy at Munich, when Palestinian terrorists took hostage 11 Israeli athletes and coaches and massacred them during a bungled rescue attempt.

In 1990, he received the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences inaugural Lifetime Achievement in Sports Award for his six-decade career. McKay's well-stocked trophy cabinet also featured and the George Polk Memorial Award in 1972 and the prestigious Peabody Award.

McKay narrated some of the sports world's seminal contests: car racing's Indianapolis 500, golf's British Open, soccer's World Cup, the Kentucky Derby and 12—count 'em 12!—summer and winter Olympic games, including coverage of gymnastics, skiing, track and field, and figure skating.

Tim Russert
NBC Newscaster Tim Russert Dies at 58
NBC News' 'Meet the Press' Moderator Died Friday After Collapsing at Work
By RUSSELL GOLDMAN

June 13, 2008 —

Tim Russert, the veteran journalist best known as the moderator of NBC News' "Meet the Press," collapsed and died of a heart attack Friday while at work in Washington. He was 58 years old.

Russert, NBC News' Washington bureau chief, was recording voice-overs for Sunday's edition of "Meet the Press" when he collapsed, NBC said in a statement.

Known for posing hard-hitting questions to America's leading politicians and newsmakers, Russert joined the network in 1984 after working as an aide to New York Sen. Patrick Moynihan.

In his 24 years at NBC, Russert worked as a political analyst for "Nightly News" and the Today" show and served as the NBC News' Washington bureau chief.

The longest-running host in the 60-year history of the "Meet The Press," Russert took the helm in 1991, earning a reputation for asking his guests tough questions, often playing them previous statements they had made that contradicted comments or positions they professed to have.

Russert was born in Buffalo, N.Y., on May 7, 1950, the son of a sanitation worker. He was a graduate of John Carroll University in Cleveland and later the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law. In 1976 he went to work on the Moynihan's Senate campaign, and 1982 he worked on Mario Cuomo's campaign for governor of New York.

In 2005, he was awarded an Emmy for his role in the coverage of the funeral of President Ronald Reagan.

In 2008, he was named one of Time magazine's 100 most influential people in the world.

Russert's father was the focus of the first of two New York Times bestsellers, "Big Russ and Me" published in 2004. His second book "Wisdom of Our Fathers," published in 2006 focused on the roles other people's fathers played in their lives.

He is survived by his father Tim Russert, his wife Maureen Orth and a son, Luke Russert, who graduated from college this spring.

Former NBC News anchor Tom Brokaw announced his death, calling Russert, "our beloved colleague and one of the premier journalist of our time."

"This news division will not be the same without his strong clear voice. He'll be missed as he was he loved, greatly," said Brokaw.

Russert famously boiled down the hotly contested 2000 presidential election, when on election night he scribbled the words "Florida, Florida, Florida" on a white board, succinctly explaining where the election would ultimately be decided.

TV Guide named that moment one of the "100 Most Memorable TV Moments" and the Washington Post has credited him with coining the phrase "red state" and "blue state" to explain those states which typically vote Republican or Democratic respectively.

Colleagues Mourn Russert's Death

Russert's colleagues at NBC expressed shock and sadness at his untimely death.

"We are heartbroken at the sudden passing of Tim Russert. We have lost a beloved member of our NBC Universal family and the news world has lost one of its finest. The enormity of this loss cannot be overstated. More than a journalist, Tim was a remarkable family man. Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife, Maureen, their son, Luke, and Tim's entire extended family," said Jeff Zucker, president and chief executive officer of NBC Universal.

Steve Capus, president of NBC News, called Russert's death "a loss for the entire nation."

"Everyone at NBC News is in shock and absolutely devastated. He was our respected colleague, mentor, and dear friend. Words can not express our heartbreak. Our thoughts and prayers are with Maureen, Luke, Big Russ and all of Tim's family," Capus said in a statement.

Many of those politicians who found themselves on the sharp end of Russert's questions also took time Friday to praise him.

"As the longest-serving host of the longest-running program in the history of television, he was an institution in both news and politics for more than two decades. Tim was a tough and hardworking newsman. He was always well-informed and thorough in his interviews. And he was as gregarious off the set as he was prepared on it," President Bush said in statement.

Presidential contenders Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. John McCain, each of whom spent more than one occasion on the other side of the "Meet the Press" table, expressed their sympathies.

Both candidates called Russert "a friend."

"There wasn't a better interviewer in TV, not a more thoughtful analyst of our politics and he was also one of the finest men I knew. Somebody who cared about America, cared about the issues, cared about family. I am grief stricken with the loss and my thoughts and prayers go out to his family," said Sen. Obama, D- Ill.

McCain echoed many of those same sentiments: "I am very saddened by Tim Russert's sudden death. Cindy and I extend our thoughts and prayers to the Russert family as they cope with this shocking loss and remember the life and legacy of a loving father, husband and the preeminent political journalist of his generation. He was truly a great American who loved his family, his friends, his Buffalo Bills, and everything about politics and America. He was just a terrific guy."

Copyright © 2008 ABC News Internet Ventures

Oscar-winning special effects expert Stan Winston, who created the creatures in films including Aliens and Jurassic Park, has died at the age of 62.
Winston, who also made the robots in Terminator, died at home in California surrounded by family on Sunday. The film veteran had been battling multiple myeloma, a plasma cell cancer, for seven years, a representative of the Stan Winston Studio said.

Cyd Charisse, a former co-star of Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly, has died in Los Angeles aged 86, her publicist says.
The actress-dancer from Texas died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center after suffering an apparent heart attack on Monday, Gene Schwam said.
The long-legged star appeared in a number of films, but her fame came from the musicals of the 1940s and 1950s.
She sang and danced with legends Gene Kelly in Singin' in the Rain, and Fred Astaire in Silk Stockings.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Comedian George Carlin, a counter-culture hero famed for his routines about drugs and dirty words, died of heart failure at a Los Angeles-area hospital on Sunday, a spokesman said. He was 71.

Carlin, who had a history of heart and drug-dependency problems, died at Saint John's Health Center in Santa Monica about 6 p.m. PDT (9 p.m. EDT) after being admitted earlier in the afternoon for chest pains, spokesman Jeff Abraham told Reuters.

Known for his edgy, provocative material, Carlin achieved status as an anti-Establishment icon in the 1970s with stand-up bits full of drug references and a routine called "Seven Words You Can Never Say On Television." A regulatory battle over a radio broadcast of the routine ultimately reached the U.S. Supreme Court.

In the 1978 case, Federal Communications Commission vs. Pacifica Foundation, the top U.S. court ruled that the words cited in Carlin's routine were indecent, and that the government's broadcast regulator could ban them from being aired at times when children might be listening.

Carlin's comedic sensibility often came back to a central theme: humanity is doomed.
"I don't have any beliefs or allegiances. I don't believe in this country, I don't believe in religion, or a god, and I don't believe in all these man-made institutional ideas," he told Reuters in a 2001 interview.

Carlin, who wrote several books and performed in many television comedy specials, is survived by his wife Sally Wade, and daughter Kelly Carlin McCall.

Taiko drumming pioneer Daihachi Oguchi has died at the age of 84.
Oguchi was struck by a car on Thursday while crossing the street and died in the hospital early Friday, said a member of the master musician's Nagano-based ensemble

CBC News:Daihachi Oguchi

LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- Larry Harmon, who turned the character Bozo the Clown into a show business staple that delighted children for more than a half-century, died Thursday of congestive heart failure. He was 83.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/SHOWBIZ/07/03/obit.bozo.ap/index.html

Thats a shame about Bozo.

Now for some good news:

Jesse Helms is dead.

The bad news is that his epitaph will say that he died on the 4th of July like Adams and Jefferson.

Right on Kenike - I agree - he doesn't deserve to be remembered every 4th of July.

On 2008-07-04 12:01, Kenike wrote:
Thats a shame about Bozo.

Now for some good news:

Jesse Helms is dead.

The bad news is that his epitaph will say that he died on the 4th of July like Adams and Jefferson.

Now for some good news:

Jesse Helms is dead.

Wow. What charm school did you go to?

Here's another decent human being for some of you to kick around now that he has died.
http://www.abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=5361814&page=1
Tony Snow.

On 2008-07-04 14:01, pappythesailor wrote:

Now for some good news:

Jesse Helms is dead.

Wow. What charm school did you go to?

ahem...

I sincerely apologize for calling the death of Jesse Helms "good news." He did many wonderful things for this country during his nearly 5 decades as senator from North Carolina. As a former NC resident, I followed the news very closely and watched how his voting in the senate propelled this country forward on issues like civil rights and AIDS research. Every time he made the news I couldn't help but think, "Wow, what a guy." I was proud to be a NC resident while he was senator of that great state. I sincerely hope countless others will follow in his footsteps. He will be missed.

Pronounced keh-NEE-kay

[ Edited by: Kenike 2008-07-12 19:52 ]

Yes, his civil rights issues were top notch. Gee, I can't imagine what this country would be like if he hadn't spear-headed such a noble cause. I imagine my drinking fountain would say "Whites Only."

Estelle Getty, golden no more.

http://www.tmz.com/2008/07/22/estelle-getty-thank-you-for-being-alive/

R.I.P Jo Stafford! The voice of an angel. Now she's among them. Her music will light up my lounge forever.

The Appletini has died.

More details can be found here: http://cocktailnerd.com/?p=1168

Memorials may be made by going to your local liquor or package store and buying something without ‘Pucker’ listed on the label and without any Red No. 5, Yellow No. 7, or Blue No. 2 added and mixing yourself a fine drink.

Bud Browne, a onetime lifeguard who became known as "the father of surf films" has died. He was 96.

Bud Browne - pioneer of surf films

He captured on film longboard-era greats such as Phil Edwards, Miki Dora and Dewey Weber; and first-generation short-board heroes, including David Nuuhiwa and Gerry Lopez.

Mr. Browne was inducted into the International Surfing Hall of Fame in 1991 and the Huntington Beach Surfing Walk of Fame in 1996.

A few months late in reporting this one. How could I have missed this?

Michael Blodgett
January 1, 1940 – November 14, 2007
Novelist and screenwriter but most of all he was as actor and
was probably best remembered for his performance as playboy Lance Rocke in Russ Meyer's 1970 cult classic 'Beyond the Valley of the Dolls'.

Los Angeles Times: Michael Blodgett

In the summer of 1967, Blodgett was emcee of the TV show, 'Groovy', a weekday program of beach-party pop music on Los Angeles' KHJ-TV.

Lou Teicher. Ferrante lives on alone.

Comedian, South Sider Bernie Mac dies at 50
August 9, 2008 Recommend (162)
FROM STAFF REPORTS

Comedian Bernie Mac died at Northwestern Memorial hospital early Saturday morning, according to Sun-Times Columnist, Stella Foster. He was 50.

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

Comedian Bernie Mac, whose career began in Chicago's comedy clubs, died at Northwestern Memorial hospital early Saturday morning, according to Sun-Times columnist Stella Foster. He was 50.
(AP file)

The columnist also said she was deeply saddened to receive such a phone call just an hour after Mac was pronounced dead.

"It brought tears to my eyes because Bernie Mac has always been my all-time favorite entertainer and comedian. It pains me to have to report that," Foster said during a phone interview on Saturday morning.

On Friday, a spokeswoman for the actor, whose real name is, Bernard McCullough, said that he had been responding well to treatment for the illness.

Publicist Danica Smith said Thursday in a statement that Mac's condition is ''stable.'' Smith first announced on August 1st that Mac was hospitalized in Chicago.

Smith has said the pneumonia isn't related to an inflammatory lung disease Mac also has. That condition has been in remission since 2005.

Foster noted that last weekend, several web sites reported wrongly that the comedian died.

Mac made waves last month with off-color jokes during a fundraiser for Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama.

The comedian starred in the critically acclaimed Fox television series ''The Bernie Mac Show.'' His film credits include roles in the ''Ocean's Eleven'' franchise.

Foster says she was remembers Bernie's comedic beginnings through his show, "Midnight Mac," which aired for four shows on HBO and was taped in Chicago in 1995.

"It was a variety entertainment show," she said, "He even had dancers called Macaroni's. That was my first exposure to how talented Bernie Mac was. And after that show, that's when Hollywood started beating down his door."

The actor's upcoming movies include "Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa" starring Ben Stiller, Chris Rock and David Schwimmer; and "Soul Men" with Samuel L. Jackson and Isaac Hayes.

There is no word on whether public services will be held.

Contributing: AP