Ralphie May was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee on February 17, 1972, and raised in Clarksville, Arkansas. When he was 16, May broke 42 of his bones in an automobile accident. At 17, he won a contest to open for Sam Kinison, whom he considered his idol. Kinison suggested that May move to Houston to further develop his comedy routine. May graduated from the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. He then moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in the entertainment industry. In 2003, Ralphie May was chosen to participate in the first season of Last Comic Standing. He finished in second place in the competition, with Dat Phan winning first place. Afterwards, May appeared in comedy shows, such as The Wayne Brady Show and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. In 2005, he was the only white comedian on The Big Black Comedy Show, which also featured Mo’Nique, Rodman, and Vince Morris. In 2005, May released his comedy album Just Correct. He later recorded four Comedy Central specials: Girth of a Nation (2006), Prime Cut (2007), Austin-tatious (2008), and Too Big To Ignore (2012), as well as two Netflixspecials titled Unruly (2015) and Imperfectly Yours (2015). He appeared in For Da Love of Money. May also performed at the “Gathering of the Juggalos 2012.” On July 3, 2005, May married comedienne Lahna Turner. The couple had two children: daughter April June May and son August James May. The couple filed for divorce in October 2015 and sought joint custody of their children, but the divorce was never finalized. Ralphie May suffered from obesity throughout his life. His weight increased to 800 pounds (360 kg), following a car accident at age 16. He participated on VH1’s Celebrity Fit Club and had gastric bypass surgery in 2004, which lowered his weight by 350 pounds (160 kg). A bout with viral pneumonia on a cruise in October 2011 caused May to lose 40 pounds. On October 6, 2017, May died of cardiac arrest after battling pneumonia for several weeks. He was 45 years old and is survived by his wife and two children.