Bernie Mac and Issac Hayes- Kings of their Domains

Over the weekend, we lost two icons who were pretty much master of their games.

Saturday, Bernard Jeffrey McCullough- better known as Bernie Mac- died from complications from Pneumonia. For years, he battled a lung disease known as sarcoidosis, which produces tiny lumps of cells in the body's organs.

Mac had an illustrious comedy and acting career, starting with stand up at Chicago's Cotton Pickin' Club. Later he had a short-lived talk show, Midnight Mac, on HBO in the late 1990s. His film career began with 1992's Mo Money, starring Damon wayans. Over the years, he starred in other films, such as
Don't Be a Menace in South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood; Booty Call (which starred Academy Award winner Jamie Foxx); and Bad Santa, opposite Billy Bob Thornton and Lauren Graham

Miramax/YouTube

Paramount Pictures/YouTube

In 2001, Mac enjoyed five seasons as a harried uncle on the epoynmous named The Bernie Mac Show.

Fox/YouTube.

Click here for WMC-TV 5's coverage of Issac Hayes' passing:
http://www.wmctv.com/global/video/popup/pop_playerLaunch.asp?vt1=v&clipFormat=flv&clipId1=2786723&at1=News&h1=Isaac%20Hayes%20dies%20(08-10-08)

If there was ever a name that was synomonous with soul music, it's Issac Hayes. If anything, he virtually invented the Memphis soul music scene


ABC/YouTube

He was one of the one of the founding members of Memphis-based recording giant Stax, starting as a session player and composer- with David Porter, creating hits like Soul Man; Hold On, I'm Coming, both hits for Sam and Dave. In 1967, he released his own singing debut album, Presenting Issac Hayes. Two years later, Hot Buttered Soul came out. But the latter was released amid upheaval at Stax- Otis Redding, the biggest star at Stax, was killed in December 1967; and it lost its' back catalog to rival Atlantic records. On Hot Buttered Soul, he did a remake of the Burt Bacharach song, Walk On By- made immortal by one of Bacharach's proteges, Dionne Warwick some five years earlier. In 1970, he released two more albums-
The Issac Hayes Movement and To Be Continued.

However, in 1971, Hayes hit his stride by composing one of the greatest R&B anthems of all time This hit was part of a soundtrack of one of the top films of that year


MGM-Sony Pictures/Stax Records/YouTube

The theme from Shaft spent two weeks at number one in November 1971, and earned Hayes an Academy-Award for Best Original Song (he was nominated for Best Original score as well); a Golden Globe for best Original score (The Shaft theme was nominated); and Grammys for Best Instrumental Arrangement (with Johnny Allen, for the Shaft theme); and Best Original Motion Picture Score. In 1973, he released a double album, Live at Sahara Tahoe, followed by Joy, where he moved away from doing covers.

In 1974, when Stax was in financial dire straits, Hayes created Hot Buttered Sould Records, which released albums through ABC (yes, that ABC!) Records. He embraced the disco sound with 1975's Chocolate Chip.

In addition to his musical career- which lasted up to his passing Sunday- he also had a film and TV career. Notable film roles include his role as Hammer in the blaxploitation spoof
I'm Gonna Git You Sucka (kind of a valentine, if you will, of the sub-genre written, produced, and directed by Keenen Ivory Wayans). On TV, a recurring role in NBC's The Rockford Files, as ex-con Gandolph Finch (he would call Jim Garner's Rockford character "Rockfish"), and from 1997 to 2006, he was the animated overweight chef- appropriately named 'Chef' in Comedy Central's South Park.

Comedy Central/YouTube


Hayes quit the show after it made fun of his religion Church of Scientology. The producers- Trey Parker and Matt Stone- gave Chef a going away present- by having him eaten by wolves.


Comedy Central/NBC/YouTube

Sunday, Hayes' fourth wife found him near a running treadmill at his home eadst of Memphis. He was taken to Baptist Memorial Hoapital, where he was pronounced dead. Though the cause of death was not known, a stroke he suffered two years ago may have been a factor. At the time of his death, he was working on Soul Men, co-starring Samuel L. Jackson, and the late Bernie Mac, who predeceased Hayes the day before.

Hayes was 65. Mac was only 50.

(C)MMVIII, by Darren W. Alexander. All Rights Reserved.