American comic Mitch Hedberg has died at the age of 37.

He died in a New Jersey hotel room early on Wednesday morning, apparently of a heart attack.  However some reports have also suggested it may have been drug-related.

Such a death would have been in keeping with the  hedonistic lifestyle he led, fuelled by drink and drunks. His ‘stoner drop-out' stage persona was not that far removed from reality.

Born in Minneapolis, he ran away from home to follow his dream of being a stand-up comic, suffering the hardships of live on the road with, at first, very little income from his career.

He got his break at the 1996 Just For Laughs comedy festival in Montreal, which led to a number of appearances on the Dave Letterman show.

He had a number of projects in the pipeline with broadcasters, but none had come to fruition.

His mother Mary told reporters: "Mitch presented a lot of challenges, but a lot of opportunities for traveling that we wouldn't have otherwise had, and he had a heart of gold.

“He was a brilliant comic and a wonderful person."