Comedian. Born Ralph Duren May in Chattanooga, Tennessee, he grew up in Clarksville, Arkansas, where at age 17, he won a contest that for which the reward was performing the opening act for comic Sam Kinison. In 2003, he rose to fame after finishing in second place on the first season of the television contest, "Last Comic Standing." He then made appearances on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" and "The Wayne Brady Show." Known for his size and his disdain for political correctness, in 2005, he released a comedy album, "Just Correct," then progressed to starring in his own specials on the Comedy Central network, "Girth of a Nation" (2006), "Prime Cut" (2007), "Austin-tatious" (2008), and "Too Big to Ignore" (2012). In 2011, he was hospitalized with a life-threatening pulmonary embolism. After his release from hospital, he toured almost constantly, and recorded two more specials for Netflix in 2015, "Unruly" and "Imperfectly Yours." In 2017, he took a residency at Harrah's Las Vegas, where in October, he won Casino Comedian of the Year at the Global Gaming Expo. He was ill at the time, however, having battled pneumonia for over a month, and had canceled several dates for his "Unruly" stand-up tour. Two days later, he suffered heart failure and succumbed at age 45.
Comedian. Born Ralph Duren May in Chattanooga, Tennessee, he grew up in Clarksville, Arkansas, where at age 17, he won a contest that for which the reward was performing the opening act for comic Sam Kinison. In 2003, he rose to fame after finishing in second place on the first season of the television contest, "Last Comic Standing." He then made appearances on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" and "The Wayne Brady Show." Known for his size and his disdain for political correctness, in 2005, he released a comedy album, "Just Correct," then progressed to starring in his own specials on the Comedy Central network, "Girth of a Nation" (2006), "Prime Cut" (2007), "Austin-tatious" (2008), and "Too Big to Ignore" (2012). In 2011, he was hospitalized with a life-threatening pulmonary embolism. After his release from hospital, he toured almost constantly, and recorded two more specials for Netflix in 2015, "Unruly" and "Imperfectly Yours." In 2017, he took a residency at Harrah's Las Vegas, where in October, he won Casino Comedian of the Year at the Global Gaming Expo. He was ill at the time, however, having battled pneumonia for over a month, and had canceled several dates for his "Unruly" stand-up tour. Two days later, he suffered heart failure and succumbed at age 45.
Bio by: Iola
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