Samuel L. Jackson was among 6,000 mourners who gathered to remember comedian Bernie Mac at a service on Saturday (16.08.08).
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The Pulp Fiction actor paid his respects to the Ocean’s Thirteen star – who died on 9 August after suffering complications related to pneumonia – and made a touching speech during the ceremony at Chicago’s House Of Hope Church.
Samuel – who appears alongside Bernie in new movie Soul Men – said: “Bernie always had time to shake a hand – he never said, ‘Back off.’ Whereas I don’t have a problem with doing that!”
Other celebrities who attended the moving service included Bernie’s Ocean’s Eleven co-star Don Cheadle and US comic Chris Rock.
Messages of condolence for Bernie’s wife Rhonda and daughter Je’Niece were sent from US TV talk show host Oprah Winfrey and Andy Garcia, who starred alongside Bernie in crime caper follow-up Ocean’s Thirteen.
During the ceremony, clips from Bernie’s stand-up comedy shows were broadcast on a large screen to the congregation, soundtracked by songs from legendary singer Isaac Hayes – who stars in Soul Men with Bernie and who died on 10 August.
