Bernie Mac

Over 6,000 family, friends and fans assembled on Chicago's South Side Saturday to give a fair well bid to actor and comedian Bernie Mac. His comrade, Cedric the Entertainer, kept Mac's laughter a live by jokingly saying the comedy king was "still the hottest ticket in town." The service was held at the House of Hope megachurch to say goodbye to one of Chicago's unforgotten. Mayor Richard Daley recalled that Mac was in his office recently, asking how he could help fight violent crime in the city. "He wanted to help get children away from a life of crime and violence," Daley said during the service. "That's why he's the king of comedy. He never lost his soul in Chicago." Mac died Aug. 9 at age 50 of what his publicist said were complications from pneumonia. He had been at Chicago's Northwestern Memorial Hospital since the middle of July.