It has been reported that American stand-up comedian Ralphie May has died. He was 45.

May had been suffering from pneumonia but had still be performing until very recently.

His Twitter account posted the following message: "We are heartbroken to announce the untimely death of our friend Ralphie May. Ralphie had been battling pneumonia and had cancelled a handful of dates over the last month in an effort to recover. Earlier this morning at a private residence in Las Vegas his body was discovered. Cause of death is cardiac arrest."

Tributes have been coming in from fans and fellow comedians. Comic Jim Norton tweeted: "RIP @Ralphie_May. I'm glad we got to spend some time together in Nashville recently. He was a sweet guy, really funny comic."

May had won Casino comedian of the Year two days ago and was booked to play a number of major gigs in the coming months.  

His first gig was supporting the legendary Sam Kinison and in recent years he had released four Comedy Central specials and two Netflix specials and was a TV regular in America.

May is survived by his wife, comedian Lahna Turner, and two children.