Reports: Comedian Ralphie May dead at 45

Comedian Ralphie May died Friday at the age of 45, TMZ.com and Variety reported.

May died of cardiac arrest while he was battling pneumonia, Variety said.

“We are heartbroken to announce the untimely death of our friend, Ralphie May,” May’s publicist, Stacey Pokluda, said in a statement, according to Variety. “Ralphie had been battling pneumonia and had cancelled a handful of dates over the last month in an effort to recover. Earlier this morning at a private residence in Las Vegas his body was discovered.”

May first gained fame in 2003 when he finished in second place on the first season of “Last Comic Standing.” He was born in Tennessee but was raised in Arkansas.

On Wednesday, he won the Casino Comedian of the Year at the Global Gaming Expo in Las Vegas, Variety reported.