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Comedian Teddy Ray dead at 32

RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. — Teddy Ray, a rising comedian known most recently for his contributions to MTV comedy clip show “Messyness,” has died at the age of 32, Comedy Central confirmed via Twitter late Friday.

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“Teddy Ray was a hilarious and beloved performer. He’ll be deeply missed by the entire comedy community,” the network wrote.

Riverside County Sheriff’s Sgt. Brandi Swan confirmed to the Los Angeles Times that deputies responded at around 10 a.m. Friday to a call about a death at a private home in Rancho Mirage, California. The Riverside County Coroner’s Office independently confirmed the comedian, actor and writer’s death but provided no additional details.

“The cause of death isn’t known,” Swan told the newspaper, noting the investigation is being handled by the Riverside County coroner’s office.

The comedian, born Theadore Brown, lived in Gardena and garnered recent fame with appearances on shows such as “Wild ‘n Out,” “How to Be Broke” and “Pause With Sam Jay,” according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Ray served as the co-host of “Ridiculousness” spinoff “Messyness,” appearing alongside reality star Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi, actress Tori Spelling and ice skater Adam Rippon, THR reported.

According to the Times, Ray’s last Instagram post, which has since been removed, marked his birthday two weeks ago. He captioned a photo of himself smiling in the seat of sedan: “Pulling up on 32 like…..Lord I thank you for another lap around this hot ... sun.”

Although he had been on the comedy scene about a decade, Russell Simmons’ platform, All Def Digital, helped propel him to prominence, along with several of his sketches going viral and spawning memes, the newspaper reported.