By Nadia Reese,
AFRO Editorial Assistant
nreese@afro.com
This year, comedian and actor Bernie Mac was honored in a daily motivational novel entitled, “I Don’t Care If You Like Me, I Like Me.” The book was created and released on May 24 by his wife, Rhonda R. McCullough, his personal publicist, Denise Jordan Walker and author and screenwriter, Melinda K. Bryce.
Bernie Mac, who died on Aug. 9, 2008, was a popular comedian. Mac was well known for his films and television shows such as “The Bernie Mac Show”, “The Original Kings of Comedy” and “Soul Men.”
Before fame, Mac lived in Chicago where he met McCullough at the age of 16.
“He was a very charismatic young man, very funny, loved music, and he just had a very nice personality,” McCullough told the AFRO. “I think that endeared him to me. He was pretty much the same person at home as he was on stage. What you saw was what you got, there was always laughter at home and he was a big practical joker.”
At 8 years old, Mac began doing stand up performances for his grandparent’s church in Chicago.
He would later do his first professional act at 19 years old at the Regal Theater in Chicago before joining the comedy club circuit in 1977. Mac did all of this while working various jobs such as a delivery truck driver.
“Bernie always delivered,” Walker said. “(Bernie Mac and I) would be at an event and he would say “I want y’all to know what I got going on, I got some TV vessels coming up.””
Today, Mac’s team has done more to keep his legacy alive and to show what he has done to inspire more comedians throughout the community. Such as creating the Bernie Mac Foundation, a non-profit organization which helps to raise awareness of Sarcoidosis, a disease which weakens the lungs and what killed Mac.
“We have a Tiktok, an Instagram and a Facebook account called “Bernie Mac is Back” and on Facebook and some of those younger generations don’t realize that he’s gone,” Bryce said. “It’s kind of fun because they are interacting with these platforms and it’s like we are keeping him here for those younger generations.”
Though, this isn’t the only way Mac’s team is keeping his story alive. The novel, “I Don’t Care If You Like Me, I Like Me” is also sold as an audiobook voiced by comedian Reggie Reg.
“Reggie Reg is a local comedian from Chicago and not only is he a comedian, he does great impersonations,” McCullough said. “He is spot on with Bernie’s voice, so we just figured there couldn’t be anybody else that could do it.”
“Bernie was very prophetic. He could speak a word and it would come true. He just knew and felt things that most of us wouldn’t even think about or think would come to pass, but he always knew,” she said. “I want you to know that when you listen to the audiobook or if you buy the book, that you will know that he was very prophetic and he spoke from his heart.”
Readers who are interested in purchasing “I Don’t Care If You Like Me, I Like Me” can find it on Audible, the Kindle Store, Barnes & Noble, Kobo and Google Play Books.
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