Comedian Ralphie May Dies At 45

Ralphie May, the comedian known for his Southern charm and side-splitting jokes, has died. May's manager, Judie Marmel, confirmed his death, while a representative indicated that an undisclosed individual discovered his body in a private residence in Las Vegas, Nevada (via TMZ). He was just 45 years old. 

May had been battling a bout of pneumonia, an illness that forced him to cancel a number of his comedy tour dates over the last month in an attempt to recover. The reported cause of death is cardiac arrest. 

Over the past two decades, May has made a name for himself in the comedy world. He shot to super stardom after finishing in second place on the first season of Last Comic Standing in the early 2000s. 2006 saw May releasing a standup special on Comedy Central, Girth of a Nation. In recent years, May appeared on Amy Schumer's comedy series Inside Amy Schumer, and had two comedy specials hit Netflix: Ralphie May: Unruly and Ralphie May: Imperfectly Yours. 

Several of May's peers have taken to social media to express their condolences to May's family and share their devastation as his sudden death. Comedian Gabriel Iglesias tweeted, "I'm at a loss for words to hear about the passing of comedian Ralfie May. He was a friend to many and a father of two beautiful children. RIP." Another funny guy turned actor Dane Cook wrote on Twitter, "Whoa... man.. this sucks. Ralphie was a good guy and a very funny person. Condolences to his family and fans."

May and his wife of ten years, fellow comedian Lahna Turner, filed for divorce in 2015. He was said to be devastated by the separation and subsequent custody battle. May is survived by Turner and their children, April June May and August James May.