Bernie Mac makes ‘heaven funnier’ August 9, 2008

Bernie Mac passed away Saturday at the age of 50, one day after his publicist said his condition was “stable.”

He had been in a Chicago hospital being treated for pneumonia.

Mac’s sudden death can only make you think. Think of how short life can be. Think of how your body can play tricks on you. Think of how many other people are personally affected by something like this.

I think that last point is what gets lost in a celebrity death. Why should this one person get all the attention when thousands of other people in the U.S. — and even more in the world — don’t get the attention deserved?

Mac was one of those celebrities you could feel good about because he made you feel good — someone who could make you smile just based on his presence alone. As co-star Don Cheadle said, “heaven just got a little funnier.”

The tributes of Mac aren’t excessive. They’re probably just right. And probably what many other people deserve but never get.