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Stand Up Comedian Ralphie May Dies of Cardiac Arrest at 45

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Ralphie May speaks on stage at the T.J. Martell roast of Warner Music Nashville Chairman/CEO John Esposito on April 17, 2017 in Nashville, Tennessee.  (Rick Diamond/Getty Images for T.J. Martell )

A spokeswoman for Ralphie May says the comedian has died. He was 45.

In a statement Friday, publicist Stacey Pokluda says May died of cardiac arrest. She said he had been fighting pneumonia, which caused him to cancel a few appearances in the past month.

His body was found Friday morning at a private residence in Las Vegas.

On Wednesday, the round-faced May was named casino comedian of the year at the Global Gaming Expo. He was booked through the rest of 2017 at Harrah’s Las Vegas.

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May, a Tennessee native who was raised in Arkansas, parlayed a second-place finish on TV’s Last Comic Standing in 2003 into TV and club appearances.

His publicist said May’s survivors include his wife, Lahna Turner, and children April June and August James.

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