Man Dies at Comedian Paul Rodriguez’s Home

Police were called to Paul Rodriguez’s home last month after the comedian’s friend died on the property. Rodriguez confirmed to TMZ that his friend Donald Serrato passed away at his Los Angeles-area home on Thursday, Nov. 21 at the age of 50. Serrato had reportedly been staying at the comedian and actor’s home before moving to Montana.

Although Serrato’s cause of death is now known at this time, law enforcement sources said authorities believe the star died of natural causes, and do not suspect drugs or foul play were involved. Rodriguez added that he believes his friend’s heavy drinking and smoking, as well as the grief he was experiencing following the loss of two family members, contributed to his passing.

According to Rodriguez, Serrato’s body was discovered in the early afternoon of Nov. 21. The comedian said he left for work on a movie at around 6 a.m., and about six hours later, around noon, he called his friend to see if Serrato wanted lunch. When Serrato didn’t answer, Rodriguez called Serrato’s girlfriend and requested she check on him. When she arrived at the home, she discovered her boyfriend in bed, “turned completely blue.” Serrato’s girlfriend and her friend immediately called 911, and an operator walked them through their attempts to perform CPR. However, Serrato had already passed.

Law enforcement sources confirmed they responded to a call about a man not breathing just after 12:30 p.m. Serrato was pronounced dead at the scene.

While Rodriguez has mostly remained quiet about the tragic incident, he did return to social media over the weekend, writing, “as some of you know, my best friend passed recently. He had a cat, and I need to find her a home.” Fans were quick to show their support for the comedian, one person writing, “I’m sorry for your loss,” as several others shared that they’d reposted the post in an effort to help the comedian find his late friend’s cat a home.

Rodriguez is a stand-up comedian and actor whose career spans four decades. In addition to performing stand-up routines, he has also made several film and TV appearances, including in the 2002 Clint Eastwood film Blood Work, The Golden Girls, The Twilight Zone, and 2022’s Clifford The Big Red Dog. Most recently, he wrote and is directing a crime comedy titled Holy Cash that stars Jay Mohr, Luis Guzman, Danny Trejo, Emilio Rivera, Catherine Bach, Aries Spears, Stephanie Gerard, Alicia Machado, Gabriela Vergara, Gary Busey, and Tony Plana.