Bernie Mac Had a Very Successful Career as a Comedian but It All Came 'from Pain'

Bernie Mac might be one of the most successful comedians in the world, but his passion to make other people happy actually began from pain.

When he was about four or five years old, Bernie Mac found his beloved mother crying in front of the television. Trying to spare her son from the pain, she refused to tell him why she was crying at the time. Before he could ask her once more about why she was crying, Bill Cosby appeared on TV through "The Ed Sullivan Show," where he did a routine about snakes in the bathroom.

According to Bernie, at that moment, he saw his mom laughing and crying at the same time. It was in that moment that he shared he wanted to be like Bill Cosby because he didn't want to see his mom crying ever again.

“And my mother started laughing and crying at the same time. And when I saw my mother laugh, I started laughing, and I wiped her face and said, ‘Mom, that’s what I’m gonna be. I’m gonna be a comedian, so you never have to cry again.‘”

Life as a Comedian

In the end, Bernie did stay true to his word and ended up being a comedian for the rest of his life until he died in 2008. He passed away from Sarcoidosis, an immune system disorder that causes cells to cluster and damage organs in the body.

Prior to his death, Mac lived a meaningful life as a comedian, going on a successful "Kings of Comedy" tour and at one point, even having his own movie. He became a household name as a comedian, having his own show called the "Bernie Mac Show," an award-winning show that had millions of viewers. Aside from these, he's also been in multi-million dollar movies, stand up comedy tours, and a whole lot more.

Thanks to that one night with his mom, Bernie was able to figure out what he wanted to do with his life. Since then, he did all he could to work towards that, and didn't stop at nothing until he was successful. It wasn't just his mom whom he was able to cheer up, but millions of others who were so pleased with his craft. Up until today, he remains to be well-loved by his colleagues and fans, and that just goes to show how much they've impacted their lives.