Ralphie May Struggled to Get Through Final Show in New Photo

A new photo from The Blast shows the state of Ralphie May’s deteriorating health just hours before his death on Friday. In the photo, the comedian leans up against a wall as if catching his breath.

At May’s final show on Thursday night in Las Vegas before his unexpected death, audience members were required to line up and walk over to him for a meet and greet because he was unable to make the walk, according to The Blast.

An audience member said that despite his glassy eyes and tired appearance, May was “incredibly nice” to everyone waiting in line to meet him.

An official statement released after his death read that May had been “battling pneumonia and had cancelled a handful of dates over the last month in an effort to recover.”

In one of his final interviews, May revealed to an Albuquerque radio station that he was struggling with bronchitis and found it hard to walk without “sucking air.” He said that despite his condition, he performed eight shows in six days.

May won the Casino Comedian of the Year at the Global Gaming Expo on Wednesday, Oct. 6. That same day, he posted to Instagram an image of himself getting ready for the awards.

As reported, May died at age 45 at a private residence in Vegas on Friday of cardiac arrest.

With his “No Apologies” tour on the Las Vegas strip, the Tennessee native became one of America’s most popular comedians thanks to his raw, edgy and uncensored comedy. After finishing as a runner-up on season one of Last Comic Standing in 2003, audiences couldn’t get enough of the larger-than-life comedian.

May is survived by his wife Lahna Turner and children, April June May and August James May.