Los Angeles Comedian Rudy Moreno Dead at 66

UniqueThis 9 May 11

Rudy Moreno -- the longtime comedian who was huge in the Latin community -- has died ... TMZ has confirmed.

The comedy vet passed away after a stint in a Los Angeles ICU his agent Mark Scroggs confirmed. He did not provide a cause of death.

As we reported ... he ended up in the ICU while battling pneumonia and receiving dialysis treatment -- and his wife, Arlene, couldn't find him, claiming the hospital told her he wasn't in the system.

Rudy was a giant in the L.A. comedy game ... appearing on "Lopez Tonight" back in the day and rubbing shoulders with comedians like Gabriel Iglesias, Sinbad, Craig Robinson and many more.

Other Hollywood heavyweights -- like Ken Jeong and Chris Simpson -- posted about Rudy, lovingly telling stories of how the star helped them get their start on the comedy scene.

On top of his decades doing stand-up, RM also did some acting over the years ... appearing in hit shows like "Dave," "Mom," "George Lopez," "The Shield," "Everybody Loves Raymond" and more.

He's survived by his wife Arlene and children.

Rudy was 66.

RIP