Comedian Rudy Moreno dead at 66: The stand-up vet passed away after a stint in Los Angeles ICU

Rudy Moreno, a well-known figure in the Los Angeles comedy scene and a familiar face on television, has passed away at the age of 66.

His agent, Mark Scroggs, confirmed he died in a hospital ICU, per TMZ.

Although the exact cause of death was not disclosed, he had been battling pneumonia and undergoing dialysis, according to the outlet.

Moreno appeared in several TV shows including Arrested Development, Monk, The Shield, Judging Amy, and The Kingpin. He also made appearances on the talk show Lopez Tonight.

Tributes from his celebrity friends poured in online, with actor Ken Jeong writing, 'My heart is truly broken. Rudy Moreno, the Godfather of Latino Comedy, was the first person to book me at the Ice House.'

Rudy Moreno, a well-known figure in the Los Angeles comedy scene and a familiar face on television, has passed away at the age of 66, seen in 2020

His agent, Mark Scroggs, confirmed he died in a hospital ICU, per TMZ; seen in December 2023

He continued: 'In fact, the first time my wife ever saw me do standup was at the Ice House on Rudy’s show. All this ultimately led to me doing my Netflix special at the Ice House, thanks to Rudy Moreno constantly supporting me and letting me get stage time on all of his shows.

'There are countless comedians who owe their start to this man. And he was hilarious, the consummate comedian. I am laughing thinking of his East LA Santa bit right now. And he was an incredible actor, guitarist and singer as well. Just a brilliant artist.

'I am getting emotional as I type this, and I am sending all my love to his wife Arlene, his son Nathan, and the rest of his beautiful family. Love you so much, Rudy. I know you’re making heaven laugh.'

Comedian Dante shared: I am devastated. I am gutted today. One of my favorite people in this world has passed away. The Godfather of comedy is gone.'

He added: 'He was not only a great comedian, he was an even better friend. I will honor your name forever! I love you Rudy!'

Funnyman Jimmy Shaw took to X and said, 'Thank you for the advice, stage time and laughs my friend. A friend to all comics

Born and raised in Los Angeles' Lincoln Heights, Moreno 'started his career in show business at age 13, when he formed his first (of many) garage band, he then went on after high school to be a radio disc jockey, also working as a DJ in many Southern California nightclubs,' according to his bio on The Laugh Factory website.

Following years spent as a mobile DJ, he tried his hand at stand-up comedy by opening for the rock group Tierra, per the bio.

Moreno appeared in several TV shows including Arrested Development, Monk, The Shield, Judging Amy, and The Kingpin. He also made appearances on the talk show Lopez Tonight; seen in 2014

Tributes from his celebrity friends poured in online, with actor Ken Jeong writing , 'My heart is truly broken. Rudy Moreno, the Godfather of Latino Comedy, was the first person to book me at the Ice House'

Moreno's comedian peers offered their condolences online

This marked the beginning of his career opening for various artists, a list that expanded to include Ice Cube, Natalie Cole, Los Lobos, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and the iconic Smokey Robinson, among others.

Moreno would go on to be named the 1998-99 Latino Comedian of the Year, according to his bio.

He recorded his comedy album No Looking Back on the Uproar label.

'I have had a pretty entertaining career, I have worked with a lot of famous people and have traveled to places that I would have only dreamed of.... plus in my office, I get to work in my pajamas,' he said, per the bio.