Comedian Teddy Ray died in an apparent drowning, found in a swimming pool by a worker

The death of comedian Teddy Ray last week shocked the entertainment industry, and we learned that his cause of death was apparent drowning.

The Riverside County Sheriff's Office told TMZ it responded to a call around 10:00 a.m. Friday morning at a private residence in Rancho Mirage, where a maintenance worker reported finding a man floating in the swimming pool.

The cops arrived and found Teddy dead in the pool. RCSO tells us there were no obvious signs of foul play. It's unclear which pool the comedian drowned in - the coroner says he lived in Gardena, Calif. - a good two and a half hours from the desert.

We are told investigators will await all results of Teddy's autopsy before determining an official cause of death.

Ray was known for his appearances on HBO's 'Wild 'n Out', 'How to Be Broke' and 'Pause with Sam Jay'...as well as his work on MTV's 'Messyness'. He was a funny guy in every way, and he had great timing and delivery with his jokes and gags. TR did both scripted and unscripted work with aplomb - and tributes poured in all weekend as the sad news broke.

Comedy Central wrote, "Teddy Ray was a hilarious and beloved entertainer. He will be deeply missed by the entire comedy community.

Teddy was a comedian with masculine talents: improv, skits/sketches and old-school stand-up at a very high level. He had dates in showbiz...