According to The NY Daily News, comedian Bernie Mac is in “very, very critical condition” after being diagnosed with pneumonia.
But Mac’s publicist is downplaying such reports, saying the star is “recovering” and “responding well to treatment” after checking himself into a Chicago hospital.
In an email to the Chicago Tribune, Mac’s publicist Danica Smith wrote, “You have some bad info.” She also indicated Mac would be leaving the hospital soon.
But the Chicago Sun-Times, citing a source close to the family, reported Mac’s condition as “dire” and said his wife, Rhonda McCullough, is at his bedside.
Smith also stated Mac’s pneumonia is unrelated to sarcoidosis, an immune disorder characterized by tiny lumps clumping together in either the lungs or lymph nodes (although sarcoidosis can occur anywhere in the body).
Mac was diagnosed with sarcoidosis in 2005 after being hospitalized due to complications related to the disease.
Sarcoidosis, in its advanced stage, can be fatal. There is no known cure.
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