Ralphie May

Ralph Duren May was an American stand-up comedian and actor known for his extensive touring, comedy specials, and television appearances across multiple media platforms. He built a prominent career in stand-up comedy through televised competitions, national show appearances, and self-titled media projects.

May was born on February 17, 1972, in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and grew up in Clarksville, Arkansas, as the youngest of five children. Raised in difficult childhood circumstances marked by family hardships, he was heavily cared for by his grandmother. At age 17, he won a contest to open for his idol, comedian Sam Kinison, who encouraged him to move to Houston to pursue comedy. May later graduated from the Kinder High School for the Performing and Visual Arts.

In 2003, May achieved a major career breakthrough when he finished in second place on the first season of the reality competition show Last Comic Standing, behind winner Dat Phan. Following his appearance on the show, he made guest appearances on programs such as The Wayne Brady Show and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. In 2005, he was featured as the sole white comedian on The Big Black Comedy Show alongside Mo'Nique, Rodman, and Vince Morris.

May released his debut comedy album, Just Correct, in 2005. He went on to record four stand-up specials for Comedy Central: Girth of a Nation in 2006, Prime Cut in 2007, Austin-tatious in 2008, and Too Big To Ignore in 2012. He also released two Netflix specials, Imperfectly Yours in 2013 and Unruly in 2015. His other screen and live projects included appearing in the film For Da Love of Money, performing at the Gathering of the Juggalos in 2012, and co-hosting a podcast titled Perfect 10 starting in 2013.

In his personal life, May married comedian Lahna Turner on July 3, 2005. The couple had a daughter in September 2007 and a son in June 2009 before filing for divorce in October 2015. May dealt with severe health problems throughout his life linked to obesity, participating in VH1's Celebrity Fit Club and undergoing gastric bypass surgery in 2004. In late 2011, he suffered from viral pneumonia and a near-fatal pulmonary embolism. In 2016, May made headlines for performing the Heimlich maneuver on a choking child at Spokane Airport in Washington.

May died on October 6, 2017, at the age of 45 after going into cardiac arrest. He had been suffering from pneumonia for weeks and had canceled several shows prior to his final performance at Harrah's in Las Vegas. His memoir, This Might Get a Little Heavy, was published posthumously in December 2017, and a 2019 documentary titled What's Eating Ralphie May? chronicled the final year of his life.