Teddy Ray, an up-and-coming comedian who appeared on HBO’s “All Def Comedy” and was featured on the eighth season of MTV’s “Wild N’ Out” series, has died at age 32.
Ray died Friday morning in the desert community of Rancho Mirage, Calif. His death was confirmed by Comedy Central in a tweet later in the day.
“Teddy Ray was a hilarious and beloved performer. He’ll be deeply missed by the entire comedy community,” Comedy Central wrote.
Riverside County Sheriff’s Sgt. Brandi Swan told the Los Angeles Times that deputies responded to a call about a death at a private residence around 10 a.m.
The cause of death isn’t known, Swan said. The Riverside County coroner’s office is leading the investigation.
“We’re heartbroken and still can’t believe that our brother Teddy Ray has passed away,” Russell Simmons’ platform, All Def Digital, tweeted Saturday morning.
“We will miss him every day but we know he will have Heaven laughing. Our deepest condolences and prayers to his immediate family and friends,” the tweet added.
The Los Angeles-born comedian, real name Theadore Brown, began his career performing as a stand-up at local venues like the Improv and the Laugh Factory.
He was recently featured on HBO’s comedy show “Pause with Sam Jay.”
Quinta Brunson, the creator of ABC’s hit comedy “Abbott Elementary,” paid tribute to Ray on Twitter, writing, “Rest well, Teddy. The kindest and funniest. We’re all going to miss you far too much.”
Television personality Desus Nice tweeted, “rip teddy ray, he was a real one,” while Nice’s former partner, The Kid Mero, wrote that Ray was “*hilarious* talkin about the most regular s–t,” adding broken-heart and crying emoji.
