Comedian Ralphie May Dies At 45

David Moye
Updated

Comedian Ralphie May died Friday at age 45, TMZ was first to report. HuffPost confirmed the death with May’s publicist.

Best known for finishing second on “Last Comic Standing” in 2003, the comedian had a successful stand-up career that included several specials on Comedy Central and Netflix.

His publicist, Stacey Pokluda, told HuffPost that May had been battling pneumonia and cancelled a handful of performance dates over the last month in an effort to recover. He died after a cardiac arrest.

“Earlier this morning at a private residence in Las Vegas, his body was discovered,” Pokluda said in a statement. “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.”

Born in Chattanooga, Tennessee ― but raised in Arkansas ― May’s first break came at age 17, when he won a contest to open for comedian Sam Kinison, his idol. Kinison encouraged May to move to Houston and work on his comedy there. May took the suggestion, eventually graduating from a performing arts high school in the area.

He then moved to Los Angeles, honing his craft until his big break, on the first season of the NBC comedy reality show.

In 2005, May married fellow comedian Lahna Turner, but the couple filed for divorced in 2015. They share two children.

Many of May’s comic contemporaries have expressed their grief on Twitter:

CORRECTION: A previous version of this story stated May and Turner were divorced. While the divorce proceedings began in 2015, they had not been finalized.

Also on HuffPost:

Rose Marie

Actress Rose Marie, who spent 90 years in show business but was best known for playing wisecracking Sally Rogers on “The Dick Van Dyke Show,” died on Dec. 28, 2017. She was 94.
Actress Rose Marie, who spent 90 years in show business but was best known for playing wisecracking Sally Rogers on “The Dick Van Dyke Show,” died on Dec. 28, 2017. She was 94.

Bruce McCandless II

NASA astronaut Bruce McCandless II, 80, the first human to float untethered in outer space, died on Dec. 21, 2017.
NASA astronaut Bruce McCandless II, 80, the first human to float untethered in outer space, died on Dec. 21, 2017.

Cardinal Bernard Law

Cardinal Bernard Law, who was forced to resign in 2002 as archbishop of Boston over a sex-abuse scandal after a two-decade reign as one of the highest-ranking Catholic officials in the United States, died on December 20, 2017. He was 86.
Cardinal Bernard Law, who was forced to resign in 2002 as archbishop of Boston over a sex-abuse scandal after a two-decade reign as one of the highest-ranking Catholic officials in the United States, died on December 20, 2017. He was 86.

John B. Anderson

John B. Anderson, an Illinois Republican who cultivated a free-thinking reputation during his 20 years in the U.S. House of Representatives, and who mounted a serious third-party bid for the White House in 1980, died on Dec. 3, 2017. He was 95.
John B. Anderson, an Illinois Republican who cultivated a free-thinking reputation during his 20 years in the U.S. House of Representatives, and who mounted a serious third-party bid for the White House in 1980, died on Dec. 3, 2017. He was 95.

Jim Nabors

Jim Nabors, the actor and singer who was best known for playing Gomer Pyle on "The Andy Griffth Show," died on Nov. 30, 2017. He was 87.
Jim Nabors, the actor and singer who was best known for playing Gomer Pyle on "The Andy Griffth Show," died on Nov. 30, 2017. He was 87.

David Cassidy

Actor and musician David Cassidy, who starred in the hit TV sitcom "The Patridge Family," died on Nov. 21, 2017 at the age of 67.
Actor and musician David Cassidy, who starred in the hit TV sitcom "The Patridge Family," died on Nov. 21, 2017 at the age of 67.

Della Reese

Actress and gospel singer Della Reese, who starred on the long-running CBS series "Touched by an Angel," died on Nov. 19, 2017. She was 86.
Actress and gospel singer Della Reese, who starred on the long-running CBS series "Touched by an Angel," died on Nov. 19, 2017. She was 86.

Charles Manson

Charles Manson, the infamous cult leader of the “Helter Skelter” gang, died on Nov. 19, 2017. He was 83.
Charles Manson, the infamous cult leader of the “Helter Skelter” gang, died on Nov. 19, 2017. He was 83.

Richard Gordon

Former Apollo 12 astronaut Richard Gordon, 88, one of a dozen men who flew around the moon but didn’t land there, died on November 6, 2017.
Former Apollo 12 astronaut Richard Gordon, 88, one of a dozen men who flew around the moon but didn’t land there, died on November 6, 2017.

Fats Domino

Fats Domino, 89, the rhythm-and-blues singer who recorded more than three dozen Top 40 pop hits and became one of the biggest stars of the early rock ’n’ roll era, died on October 25, 2017.
Fats Domino, 89, the rhythm-and-blues singer who recorded more than three dozen Top 40 pop hits and became one of the biggest stars of the early rock ’n’ roll era, died on October 25, 2017.

Robert Guillaume

Emmy Award-winning actor Robert Guillaume, who was best known as the title character in the TV sitcom “Benson,” died on Oct. 24, 2017 at 89.
Emmy Award-winning actor Robert Guillaume, who was best known as the title character in the TV sitcom “Benson,” died on Oct. 24, 2017 at 89.

Tom Petty

Tom Petty, the Grammy Award-winning lead singer of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, died on October 2, 2017. He was 66.
Tom Petty, the Grammy Award-winning lead singer of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, died on October 2, 2017. He was 66.

Monty Hall

Monty Hall, who hosted “Let’s Make a Deal” for almost three decades, died on Sept. 30, 2017 at 96.
Monty Hall, who hosted “Let’s Make a Deal” for almost three decades, died on Sept. 30, 2017 at 96.

Hugh Hefner

Playboy magazine founder and legendary ladies’ man Hugh Hefner died on Sept. 27, 2017 at the age of 91.
Playboy magazine founder and legendary ladies’ man Hugh Hefner died on Sept. 27, 2017 at the age of 91.

Jake LaMotta

Jake LaMotta, the boxing legend whose life story became the basis of Martin Scorsese’s classic film “Raging Bull,” died on Sept. 19, 2017. He was 95.
Jake LaMotta, the boxing legend whose life story became the basis of Martin Scorsese’s classic film “Raging Bull,” died on Sept. 19, 2017. He was 95.

Harry Dean Stanton

Character actor Harry Dean Stanton, who broke out of obscurity in his late 50s for his work in "Alien" and "Escape From New York," died on September 15, 2017. He was 91.
Character actor Harry Dean Stanton, who broke out of obscurity in his late 50s for his work in "Alien" and "Escape From New York," died on September 15, 2017. He was 91.

Edith Windsor

Edith Windsor, the plaintiff in the 2013 United States Supreme Court case that struck down a federal law defining marriage as between a man and a woman, died on September 12, 2017 at 88.
Edith Windsor, the plaintiff in the 2013 United States Supreme Court case that struck down a federal law defining marriage as between a man and a woman, died on September 12, 2017 at 88.

Don Williams

Legendary country music singer Don Williams, who was known as the "Gentle Giant," died on September 8, 2017 at 78.
Legendary country music singer Don Williams, who was known as the "Gentle Giant," died on September 8, 2017 at 78.

John Ashbery

Pulitzer Prize-winning poet John Ashbery, who published more than 20 books of poetry and was known for the complexity of his style, died on September 3, 2017 at 90.
Pulitzer Prize-winning poet John Ashbery, who published more than 20 books of poetry and was known for the complexity of his style, died on September 3, 2017 at 90.

Jay Thomas

Jay Thomas, 69, Emmy Award-winning actor on "Murphy Brown" and "Cheers," died on August 24, 2017.
Jay Thomas, 69, Emmy Award-winning actor on "Murphy Brown" and "Cheers," died on August 24, 2017.

Jerry Lewis

Jerry Lewis, the legendary entertainer and longtime host of the Muscular Dystrophy Telethon, died on Aug. 20, 2017. He was 91.
Jerry Lewis, the legendary entertainer and longtime host of the Muscular Dystrophy Telethon, died on Aug. 20, 2017. He was 91.

Dick Gregory

Dick Gregory, comedian and civil rights crusader, died on August 19, 2017. He was 84.
Dick Gregory, comedian and civil rights crusader, died on August 19, 2017. He was 84.

Glen Campbell

Glen Campbell, the beloved “Rhinestone Cowboy,” international TV star and country music singer-songwriter, died on August 8, 2017. He was 81.
Glen Campbell, the beloved “Rhinestone Cowboy,” international TV star and country music singer-songwriter, died on August 8, 2017. He was 81.

Jeanne Moreau

Award-winning French actress Jeanne Moreau, 89, who was best known for thriving in the French New Wave cinema, died on July 31, 2017.
Award-winning French actress Jeanne Moreau, 89, who was best known for thriving in the French New Wave cinema, died on July 31, 2017.

Sam Shepard

Sam Shepard, the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright and Oscar-nominated actor, died on July 27, 2017. He was 73.
Sam Shepard, the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright and Oscar-nominated actor, died on July 27, 2017. He was 73.

George Romero

Horror legend and "Night of the Living Dead" director George Romero died on July 16, 2017. He was 77.
Horror legend and "Night of the Living Dead" director George Romero died on July 16, 2017. He was 77.

Martin Landau

Martin Landau, a star of the 1960s television series “Mission: Impossible” who made a late-career comeback with an Academy Award-winning performance in the 1994 film “Ed Wood,” died on July 15, 2017 at age 89.
Martin Landau, a star of the 1960s television series “Mission: Impossible” who made a late-career comeback with an Academy Award-winning performance in the 1994 film “Ed Wood,” died on July 15, 2017 at age 89.

Maryam Mirzakhani

Maryam Mirzakhani, the 40-year-old Iranian who won the Fields Medal, math’s most prestigious prize, died on July 15, 2017.
Maryam Mirzakhani, the 40-year-old Iranian who won the Fields Medal, math’s most prestigious prize, died on July 15, 2017.

Liu Xiaobo

Nobel Peace Prize laureate and political dissident Liu Xiaobo died on July 13, 2017 after almost a decade of imprisonment by the Chinese government. He was 61.
Nobel Peace Prize laureate and political dissident Liu Xiaobo died on July 13, 2017 after almost a decade of imprisonment by the Chinese government. He was 61.

Helmut Kohl

Helmut Kohl, former chancellor who reunified Germany after 45 years of Cold War antagonism, died on June 16, 2017. He was 87
Helmut Kohl, former chancellor who reunified Germany after 45 years of Cold War antagonism, died on June 16, 2017. He was 87

Adam West

Actor Adam West who was best known for playing the title role in the campy 1960s TV series, "Batman," died on June 9, 2017, at the age of 88.
Actor Adam West who was best known for playing the title role in the campy 1960s TV series, "Batman," died on June 9, 2017, at the age of 88.

Gregg Allman

Gregg Allman, a founding member of the Allman Brothers Band, the incendiary group that inspired the Southern rock and jam-band movements, died on May 27, 2017. He was 69.
Gregg Allman, a founding member of the Allman Brothers Band, the incendiary group that inspired the Southern rock and jam-band movements, died on May 27, 2017. He was 69.

Manuel Noriega

Former Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega, who spied for the CIA until the U.S. invaded and toppled his corrupt government, died on May 29, 2017 at the age of 83.
Former Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega, who spied for the CIA until the U.S. invaded and toppled his corrupt government, died on May 29, 2017 at the age of 83.

Frank Deford

Frank Deford, one of the finest sportswriters of his generation for his detailed psychological profiles of athletes and coaches, died on May 28, 2017. He was 78.
Frank Deford, one of the finest sportswriters of his generation for his detailed psychological profiles of athletes and coaches, died on May 28, 2017. He was 78.

Zbigniew Brzezinski

Zbigniew Brzezinski, who was President Jimmy Carter’s national security adviser, died on May 26, 2017 at the age of 89.
Zbigniew Brzezinski, who was President Jimmy Carter’s national security adviser, died on May 26, 2017 at the age of 89.

Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost.