Comedian Dies After Being Hospitalized in ICU: Rudy Moreno Was 66

Rudy Moreno, regarded as the “Godfather of Latino comedy” and influential on the Los Angeles comedy scene, passed away. He was 66. Moreno’s agent, Mark Scroggs, confirmed to TMZ that he died during a stay in a Los Angeles ICU. There was no cause of death given, however he was battling pneumonia and receiving dialysis treatment while hospitalized, per TMZ.

Rudy was a legend in the L.A. comedy scene, appearing on Lopez Tonight and working with comedians like Gabriel Iglesias, Sinbad, Craig Robinson, and more. In addition to doing stand-up for decades, Moreno also appeared in numerous TV shows, including George Lopez, The Shield, Everybody Loves Raymond, Arrested Development, Monk, The Shield, Judging Amy, and The Kingpin. 

Celebrity friends paid tribute to him online, with actor Ken Jeong writing, “My heart is truly broken. Rudy Moreno, the Godfather of Latino Comedy, was the first person to book me at the Ice House.”

He continued, “In fact, the first time my wife ever saw me do standup was at the Ice House on Rudy’s show. All this ultimately led to me doing my Netflix special at the Ice House, thanks to Rudy Moreno constantly supporting me and letting me get stage time on all of his shows. 

“There are countless comedians who owe their start to this man. And he was hilarious, the consummate comedian. I am laughing thinking of his East LA Santa bit right now. And he was an incredible actor, guitarist and singer as well. Just a brilliant artist. 

“I am getting emotional as I type this, and I am sending all my love to his wife Arlene, his son Nathan, and the rest of his beautiful family. Love you so much, Rudy. I know you’re making heaven laugh.”

Comedian Dante shared, “I am devastated. I am gutted today. One of my favorite people in this world has passed away. The Godfather of comedy is gone.” He added, “He was not only a great comedian, he was an even better friend. I will honor your name forever! I love you Rudy!”

Jimmy Shaw posted on X and said, “Thank you for the advice, stage time and laughs my friend. A friend to all comics.”

Moreno, who was born and raised in Los Angeles’ Lincoln Heights, “started his career in show business at age 13, when he formed his first (of many) garage bands, he then went on after high school to be a radio disc jockey, also working as a DJ in many Southern California nightclubs,” reads his bio on The Laugh Factory website. 

After spending years as a mobile DJ, he started doing stand-up comedy by opening for the rock band Tierra. This beginning of his career would lead to him opening for various artists, including Ice Cube, Natalie Cole, Los Lobos, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Smokey Robinson, among others, in the future.

Moreno was later awarded 1998-99 Latino Comedian of the Year, per his bio. “I have had a pretty entertaining career, I have worked with a lot of famous people and have traveled to places that I would have only dreamed of…. plus in my office, I get to work in my pajamas,” he said, according to the bio. Moreno is survived by his wife Arlene and children.