Bernie Mac's wife pleaded with him not to die during his final moments, but the comedian signaled that he was too exhausted to go on, her sister said.
"Don't leave me ... I'm waiting for you to come back," Bernie's wife of 30 years, Rhonda McCullough, begged the 50-year-old entertainer as he lay dying early Saturday, Rhonda's sister, Mary Ann Grossett, told People.com.
Bernie could only shrug his shoulders.
"She said that's when she knew he was tired," Mary Ann said. "He signaled to her that his body was tired."
Fans of the gruff comedian remained stunned yesterday, a day after his death at Northwestern Memorial Hospital from complications from pneumonia. Mary Ann said his immune system had been compromised by a previous bout of sarcoidosis, an inflammatory disease that can affect the lungs.
Bernie's daughter, Je'Niece Childress, 30, said the family expected him to recover when he first fell ill in mid-July. "But as the weeks went on, I kind of knew," she said, after he was put on a ventilator and in intensive care.
His death brought to an end the three-decade love affair between Bernie, whose real name was Bernard McCullough, and his wife, who met when they were teens. Mary Ann recalled Bernie once saying to her sister, "Girl, you better come on board this train, because I'm going to be rich."
Their marriage remained strong as Bernie's fame grew.
"Not only was she his wife, but she was his best friend," Mary Ann said.
Bernie's daughter said her only regret is that her year-old daughter will never know how much her grandpa loved her.
"He was a hard man, and he made no apologies for that," Je'Niece said. "When it came to me and my mother and my daughter, he was the softest."
A public memorial will be held Saturday at House of Hope in Chicago.
