Bye Bernie

Too soon. This week's Objet d'eBay is a shirt that once was soaked with the sweat of Bernie Mac (Bernard Jeffrey McCullough), a self-proclaimed King of Comedy and the larger-than-life father of The Bernie Mac Show — very much a different kind of TV dad — who passed away yesterday morning at the age of 50. [Earlier: B/W TV]

He grew up without a father, and in his stand-up and on television he was constantly talking about how much he looked forward to busting on kids. The outraged father was clearly how he saw himself, but the busting never seemed to happen. His only daughter, Ja'Niece Childress, told the AP for his obituary that he was the "king of the household" as she grew up, just like the part he played on television. His television character — a late in life father who is stuck with his sister's three kids — was constantly exasperated and threatening and disturbed and outraged and ... and ... and caring and loving and hopeful and frightened for his kids.

Intriguingly, it turns out a guy who grew up without a father turns out to be a role model for other fathers ... although maybe not for kids.