Actor and comedian Teddy Ray dies in Southern California

RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. (AP) - Teddy Ray, a comedian and actor who appeared on the HBO Max series 'œPAUSE with Sam Jay,'ť has died, authorities confirmed on Saturday. He was 32.

The Riverside County Sheriff's Office and the county's coroner's office confirmed that the death of the comedian, whose legal name was Theadore Brown, was reported Friday morning in the desert community of Rancho Mirage, the Los Angeles Times reported. Sheriff's Sgt. Brandi Swan, who said deputies responded to a call about the death at a private residence, said that the cause of death was unknown.

Entertainment companies and some of Ray's fellow comedians reacted with sadness to the news of Ray's death.

'œTeddy Ray was a hilarious and beloved performer,'ť TV network Comedy Central said in a Twitter statement. 'œHe'll be deeply missed by the entire comedy community.'ť

All Def Digital, a multi-platform media company that Ray had collaborated with, tweeted that it was 'œheartbroken'ť about the news of Ray's death. 'œWe will miss him every day but we know he will have Heaven laughing,'ť the tweet read.

Ray appeared as the bailiff on 'œPAUSE with Sam Jay,'ť appeared in the digital series Cancel Court, and was a stand-up comedian.

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This story has been corrected to show that the death was reported Friday morning, not Friday night.