Comedian Ralphie May has died at 45, his representative, Stacey Pokluda, confirmed to USA TODAY.
His body was found Friday morning at a private residence in Las Vegas, where he had a residency at Harrah's Las Vegas Hotel and Casino.
Pokluda said May had performed there Thursday night after having had to cancel several dates to recover from pneumonia, which had plagued him for weeks.
She noted his cause of death was cardiac arrest. That occurs when an electrical problem causes the heart to stop pumping completely. When that happens, oxygenated blood fails to reach the brain, lungs and other organs. (In the last two weeks, rock icon Tom Petty and Playboy founder Hugh Hefner both died as a result of cardiac arrest.)
He mined his obesity for laughs as part of his standup routine. He eventually parlayed a second-place finish in Season 1 of NBC's Last Comic Standing into multiple stand-up specials for Comedy Central and Netflix.
Pokluda noted in her statement that May had just won the Casino Comedian of the Year award at the Global Gaming Expo. His residency at Harrah's Las Vegas was supposed to last through the end of the year.
His manager, Judi Marmel, told USA TODAY he was also working on a new comedy special and had completed his autobiography, This Might Get a Little Heavy, for St. Martin's Press. It's due this spring.
He is survived by his wife and two children.
— Ralphie May (@Ralphie_May) October 6, 2017
Tributes are coming in from celebrity admirers.
Oh man fellow comedian and friend Ralphie May just died. So crazy. RIP Ralphie. You my friend were one of the nicest and kindest out there.
— Larry The Cable Guy (@GitRDoneLarry) October 6, 2017
Ralphie May. Dammit. You were a funny and sweet mofo man. Rest In Peace.
— bob saget (@bobsaget) October 6, 2017
I love you @Ralphie_May rest in paradise my friend. Thank you for giving me my first break in hollywood.
— Jo Koy (@Jokoy) October 6, 2017
This hurts too much. @Ralphie_May helped me so much. Rest In Peace. Thank you for all the love you have given me. Thank you for everything.
— Ken Jeong (@kenjeong) October 6, 2017
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