Comedian Ralphie May died after suffering cardiac arrest on Friday in Las Vegas, his manager and publicist confirmed to Variety. He was 45.
“We are heartbroken to announce the untimely death of our friend, Ralphie May,” his rep said in a statement. “Ralphie had been battling pneumonia and had cancelled a handful of dates over the last month in an effort to recover. Earlier this morning at a private residence in Las Vegas his body was discovered, cause of death is cardiac arrest.”
May rose to fame after he finished in second place in the first season of “Last Comic Standing” in 2003. His career took off after that, as May, who was born in Tennessee and raised in Arkansas, parlayed his Southern charm into stand-up dates across the county.
Most recently, May had a Las Vegas residency at Harrah’s, including shows that were scheduled for Friday and Saturday. On Wednesday, he won the Casino Comedian of the Year at the Global Gaming Expo.
The comedian had four specials on Comedy Central — “Girth of a Nation” (2006), “Prime Cut” (2007), “Austin-tatious” (2008), and “Too Big To Ignore” (2012) — in addition to two Netflix specials in 2015, “Unruly” and “Imperfectly Yours.” He also recently appeared on Comedy Central’s “Inside Amy Schumer.”
He is survived by his wife Lahna Turner and children April June May and August James May.
