Ralph Duren May, 45, of Nashville, Tenn., died in Las Vegas Oct. 6, 2017.
Known to the world as Ralphie May, he was the son of Sue Ann Sykes May and the late Charles Winston May. He is predeceased by grandparents Ralph and Sue Sykes of Clarksville, AR and A.D. and Monie May of Delight, AR. In addition to his mother, he is survived by his wife Lahna Turner, daughter April June May, son August James May; one brother Charles Winston May II of Fayetteville, AR; three sisters Melanie May Adamski and husband Jim Adamski of Longwood, FL; Camellia May and husband Bijan Timjani of Houston, TX; Carrie May Ezell and husband Ben Ezell of Cullman, AL; four nephews; and five nieces; one great-nephew; stepmother Gayle May of Canton, GA, and stepbrother Gary Gilley of Edgefield, SC.
Ralphie May grew up in Clarksville, AR and attended Clarksville H.S. He moved to the Sagemont area in Houston, TX and attended San Jacinto Community College- South Campus. He got started doing standup comedy at The Comedy Showcase on Fuqua in Houston for several years before moving to Los Angeles. Wherever he went, he remained a lifelong Razorback and supporter of the University of Arkansas.
He had a career traveling the world performing comedy live for millions of fans. Early in his career he appeared on “The Late Show with Craig Kilborn”, “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” twice and “The Jimmy Kimmel Show” twice. He was also a producer and co-star of ESPN’s “Mohr Sports with Jay Mohr”. He shot to fame in 2003 when he came in second place on NBC’s “Last Comic Standing”. He made DVDs and specials for Comedy Central and Netflix. He did USO tours in Japan, Germany, Italy, and Iraq.
At the time of his passing, Ralphie had a performance residency at Harrah’s in Vegas and was voted Casino Comedian of the Year.
A celebration of life event will be held October 23 at the Hollywood Improv, Hollywood, CA. Private services are pending at this time.
