Comedian Ralphie May dies at 45

One of the most talented comedians of his generations Raplhie May passed away of cardiac arrest in his home in Las Vegas this week. May had been battling pneumonia which forced him to cancel some shows so he could recover,  his body was found today and his death was confirmed by his management to Variety.   Just this past Wednesday, May was awarded Casino Comedian of the Year at the Global Gaming Expo following his successful residency at the Harrah’s Casino.

May’s stand up career started at 17 when he won a contest to open for one of the most popular comics of all time, Sam Kinison. May came to national fame in 2003 in the first season of NBC’s ‘Last Comic Standing’ which launched him into bigger live shows around the country, television specials for Comedy Central, and performances on ‘the Tonight Show’.

May performed many times in Chicago, including last year at the Copernicus Center in a benefit for the families of local Firefighters. Here is his interview on WCIU’s ‘You, Me, & This Morning’.

He crafted his unfiltered Southern charm into 4 Comedy Central specials with Girth of a Nation (2006), Prime Cut (2007), Austin-tatious (2008), and Too Big To Ignore (2012), as well as two Netflix specials, Unruly (2015) and Imperfectly Yours (2015).

The entertainment and comedy world has reacted to the sad news today.