Wear Purple Today for Bernie Mac

People all across Chicago and America are wearing purple today to show love for Bernie Mac and support research to cure the disease sarcoidosis.

Comedian Bernie Mac would have been 58 today but he died in 2008 due to complications from pnemonia and cardiac arrest. Bernie Mac also suffered from sarcoidosis of the lungs, a disease he lived with from his 20’s until he died.

Mary Ann Grossett, executive director of the Bernie Mac Foundation today told CBS News Radio that she is inviting fans of Bernie Mac to wear purple today on his birthday, and encouraging to them to send a selfie to the Bernie Mac Foundation’s Facebook page.

“He would think this was a wonderful tribute especially in Chicago,” Grosset told CBS. “He loved Chicago. He considered this his lifelong home. He would be very emotional about this attention he’s receiving along with the disease. He would be honored by this outpouring of love and support.”

Fans are also invited to #BernieMacDay, #Whoyouwith, #BMF #sarcoidosis #cure on Twitter.

Mac who was born Bernard Jeffrey “Bernie” McCullough was a brilliant stand up comic, one of the Original Kings of Comedy along with D.L. Hughley, and Cedric the Entertainer, a star of HBO’s Def Comedy Jam, and star of the Emmy award winning Bernie Mac Show. He also had memorable roles in Friday, Soul Men, The Players Club, Ocean’s Eleven, Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle, 

Mac has been ranked number 72 on Comedy Central’s list of the 100 greatest standups of all time.

Read more comedy news.