Ralphie May

Stand-up comic Ralphie May parlayed his free-wheeling, occasionally profane brand of humor as a live act and popular television performer until his untimely death at the age of 45 in 2017. Born Ralph Duren May in Chattanooga, Tennessee on February 17, 1982, he was raised with his three siblings in Clarksville, Alabama. There, May decided on becoming a comedian while still in grade school, and drawing on the influence of popular stand-up talent like Sam Kinison and Bill Hicks, he began performing comedy in his early teens. His career pursuit was interrupted at age 16 when he was involved in a car accident that left him in a coma and with numerous broken bones, which left him largely immobile for an extended period of time. As a result, May gained a considerable amount of weight - at one point, May weighed 800 pounds - and it would remain both a health challenge and a indirect source of inspiration for his comedy throughout his life. After recovering from his injuries, May resumed his stand-up career, which was given a significant boost after winning a radio contest. The grand prize was an opening slot for Kinison, who encouraged May to move to Houston, Texas to hone his talents on the city's club circuit. The teenager performed regularly throughout Houston while also completing his high school degree at the High School of Performing and Visual Arts; upon graduation, May relocated to Los Angeles, where he soon won a following for his self-deprecating humor and affinity for hip-hop culture. In 2003, May was introduced to mainstream audiences as a contestant on the debut season of "Last Comic Standing" (NBC, 2003-2010, 2014-15). Though he placed second in the competition, the exposure made him an in-demand performer on talk and variety programs, and led to the release of his first comedy album, Just Correct in 2005. During this period, May also participated in the reality series "Celebrity Fit Club" (VH1, 2005-2010), which prompted him to undergo gastric bypass surgery. The procedure helped May drop 350 pounds and allowed him to pursue his career with vigor: between 2006 and 2015, May issued six comedy albums and starred in four Comedy Central specials, as well as two comedy spotlight programs for Netflix. But in the midst of so much work, May was also suffering from years of ill health; he struggled with a variety of problems related to his weight, and nearly died from pneumonia and a pulmonary embolism in 2011. He issued his final album, Unruly, in 2015 and made his last television appearance on an episode of "Inside Amy Schumer" (Comedy Central, 2013-) in 2016. After a lengthy bout with pneumonia in the fall of 2017, May succumbed to cardiac arrest in Las Vegas, Nevada on October 6, 2017.