Thousands of fans showed up to honor Bernie Mac today in a memorial service on Chicago's South Side, the Chicago Tribune reports. “He’s still the hottest ticket in town,” said Cedric the Entertainer, who spoke with the rest of Mac’s “Original Kings of Comedy" team—each breaking into tears as they cracked jokes. Jesse Jackson also attended and dubbed Mac a “a serious funnyman.”
Also appearing were Chris Rock, Andy Garcia, Mayor Richard Daley, and Samuel L. Jackson, who co-stars with Mac in December's Soul Man. Barack Obama sent his condolences, as did Oprah, while the Chicago White Sox sent a #1 jersey bearing Mac’s name to his widow. (More Bernie Mac stories.)