Ralphie May, the stand-up comedian who turned a second-place finish on Last Comic Standing which was the only season I watched, into a successful career in comedy, died Friday in Las Vegas. He was 45.
May died of cardiac arrest following a brief battle with pneumonia, Variety reports. In September, May canceled a string of dates from his Unruly stand-up tour due to illness.
"We are heartbroken to announce the untimely death of our friend, Ralphie May. 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," the comedian's rep said in a statement posted on Facebook.
"Two days ago he won the Casino Comedian of the Year at the Global Gaming Expo and had performances throughout the remainder of 2017 as part of his residency at Harrah's Las Vegas."
On September 22nd, after canceling a Colorado Springs concert, May wrote on Facebook, "I can't shake this bronchitis and the altitude is no joke."
Known for his distinct delivery and outsized personality and stage presence, May finished second on the inaugural season of Last Comic Standing in 2003. Over the next 15 years, the Arkansas-raised May went on to star in four Comedy Central comedy specials as well as a pair of Netflix specials, Imperfectly Yours and Unruly. In 2016, May appeared alongside Amy Schumer, another one-time Last Comic Standing contestant, in an Inside Amy Schumer sketch.
RIP. He was a funny guy.
ReplyDeleteGod, this guy had me laughing so hard with his "cuba diving" and "mexican" routines.
ReplyDeleteMay he rest in peace....
Pray for Gabriel Iglesias!
How sad. RIP. Take care of your health people, pneumonia is no joke.
ReplyDeleteI first saw Ralphie May perform live back in the late 90s at the Laff Stop in Houston. I had no idea who we were going to see, we just had some free tickets to the comedy club (2 drink minimum! Tip your waitress!). He was hilarious and memorable because of his Southern accent and his size. I kept up with his career since and was saddened, though not shocked, by his death at an all-too-young age. His most recent Netflix special "Unruly" was pretty damn funny. Hopefully he's up there in Heaven "looking for change in the pay phone".
ReplyDeleteSad that he's gone. I first saw him on that show where comics compete years ago when I lived in Florida, and for me to remember anything means it made an impression on me. He was so funny. RIP.
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