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.
Thank you, Ralphie May. You were a world-class comedian. pic.twitter.com/TGWpRcyQGH
— Comedy Central (@ComedyCentral) October 6, 2017
Wow….I was just told that Ralphie May passed. I'm truly saddened by this. He was a good dude. Heaven just got another funny angel RIP man
— Kevin Hart (@KevinHart4real) October 6, 2017
Damn. RIP Ralphie May. Comic warrior.
— marc maron (@marcmaron) October 6, 2017
NO! #RalphieMay was such a nice guy! Last time we talked backstage at @zaniesnashville I promised to put him in the Jay/Bob movie. Dammit… https://t.co/zrljotClGr
— KevinSmith (@ThatKevinSmith) October 6, 2017
Ralphie May RIP funny man. We shared good talks & good laughs . See you on the other side kid
— Jim Breuer (@JimBreuer) October 6, 2017
Sorry to hear about Ralphie May. He was a sweetheart. #RipRalphieMay pic.twitter.com/CznggIGKXP
— Marconi (@marconibologna) October 6, 2017
RiP Ralphie May. Great guy. Supportive, warm hearted & real. Everything you hear about him today is true. Loved by the comedians. Very sad.
— Steven BRODY Stevens (@BrodyismeFriend) October 6, 2017
