Ralphie May's Cause of Death
Comedian Ralphie May died of cardiac arrest on Friday. He was 45.
May was found dead at a private residence in Las Vegas on Friday morning. Spokesperson Stacey Pokluda confirmed that the comedian died of cardiac arrest, a condition wherein the heart stops pumping oxygenated blood to the rest of the body.
Prior to his death, May had reportedly been battling pneumonia for six weeks. But in the past week, he continued to perform for his gigs despite not having fully recovered.
Pokluda said that he performed at Harrah's Las Vegas Hotel and Casino on Thursday night after his poor health forced him to cancel a couple of shows.
TMZ reports that the comedian was forced to do a radio interview a few weeks back instead of going to the studio. Speaking with Albuquerque's "Carlos & KiKi in the Morning," the comedian shared that he had been dealing with bronchitis and was completely exhausted. At that time, he managed to do eight shows in six days despite being so weak and struggling to walk.
May's manager, Judi Marmel, revealed that he was working on a new comedy and he had just completed his autobiography, titled "This Might Get a Little Heavy," which is slated to release in spring.
"As his manager and his friend, I will miss his laugh, his generosity to fellow comedians, his trademark orneriness, and his enormous love of life," she said in a statement. "He left us entirely too soon — and we can only wonder where his comedy might have taken all of us. We send our love to his family, his fans, and all the comics who shared stages with him across the country."
Aside from May, in the last two weeks, rock icon Tom Petty and Playboy founder Hugh Hefner have died as a result of cardiac arrest.
May is survived by his wife, Lahna Turner, and their children, April June May, and August James May.
