Los Angeles comedian Rudy Moreno, remembered by his peers as “the Godfather of Latino comedy,” has died following a recent hospitalization. He was 66.
Moreno’s death was confirmed to TMZ by his agent roughly three weeks after the “Lopez Tonight” veteran was treated in the ICU while battling a bout of pneumonia and receiving dialysis. A cause of death was not disclosed.
Moreno’s wife, Arlene — who had also just been hospitalized — told TMZ on April 29 that her husband had been in the ICU for about a week, but said both she and his agent were struggling to get in contact with Moreno, who was reportedly not listed in the hospital’s system.
Following the news of his death, a “truly [heart]broken” Ken Jeong tweeted that “countless comedians owe their start” to Moreno, who the actor thanked for “constantly supporting me and letting me get stage time on all of his shows.”
“I know you’re making heaven laugh,” continued the “Hangover” star.
Along with his stand-up, Moreno’s career also included appearances on shows like “Dave,” “Arrested Development,” “Criminal Minds,” “Monk,” “George Lopez,” “Judging Amy” and “Everybody Loves Raymond.”
The L.A. native also penned Gabriel Iglesias’ 2011 “Stand-Up Revolution.”
Moreno is survived by his wife and their children.
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