Chris Rock, Cedric the Entertainer and Steve Harvey were among over a thousand mourners who showed up at Chicago's House of Hope today (August 16) to pay their last respects to comedian Bernie Mac.

As reported earlier, Mac died from complications with pneumonia last Saturday (August 9).  He was 50 years old.

According to The Chicago Tribune, the aforementioned comedians took the stage and shared their memories of their late friend by sharing jokes as they broke down in tears.

“This dude is a very popular guy,” said Cedric the Entertainer. “You know y'all were like `let me get four tickets to the funeral!’  He's still the hottest ticket in town.”

Actor Samuel L. Jackson and Reverend Jesse Jackson were also in attendance.  Oprah Winfrey and Barack Obama sent their condolences while The Chicago White Sox sent a #1 jersey with Mac's name on it to the comedian's wife.

“Between birth and death is a dash,” said Jesse Jackson.  “But between that dash between birth and death, [Mac] made a statement.”

Several of Mac's comedy routines were aired at the funeral.  Some of the ro utines were played over some of Isaac Hayes' songs.

Hayes, 65, died of a stroke a day after Mac's passing.  Hayes and Mac star together in an upcoming movie titled Soul Man which also features Samuel L Jackson.  Hayes’ funeral is set for Monday (August 18).

Various fans appeared at the funeral with t-shirts printed with Mac's face.

“Him dying was like losing an uncle or brother,” said Joseph Gilmore, a Chicago native.  “He made himself very personal with the people he was entertaining.”

Mac gained national attention in 1992 after appearing on HBO's Def Comedy Jam and went on to appear in films like Friday and the Oceans Eleven series. He also had a sitcom titled The Bernie Mac Show which aired from 2001 to 2006.

The comedian is survived by his wife, Rhonda McCullough and, their daughter, Je'Niece, a son-in-law and a granddaughter, Jasmine.