Alex Duong, Comedian and “Blue Bloods” Actor, Dies at 42, One Year After Rare Cancer Diagnosis
Alex Duong, Comedian and “Blue Bloods” Actor, Dies at 42, One Year After Rare Cancer Diagnosis
Desiree AnelloSun, March 29, 2026 at 10:05 PM UTC
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Alex Duong performs during his appearance at the Crazy Woke Asians Stop Asian Hate Fundraiser in 2021Credit: Michael S. Schwartz/Getty -
Alex Duong, a comedian and actor known for his appearances in Blue Bloods and Jeff Ross Presents Roast Battle, has died at age 42 following a yearlong journey with cancer
“With the heaviest hearts, we share that our dear Alex passed away peacefully this morning, surrounded by love and dear friends,” friend Hilarie Steele wrote on GoFundMe on Saturday, March 28
Duong is survived by his wife, Christina, and 5-year-old daughter, Everest
Alex Duong, a comedian and actor known for his appearances on Jeff Ross Presents Roast Battle and Blue Bloods, has died following a yearlong journey with cancer.
On Saturday, March 28, his friend Hilarie Steele shared on GoFundMe that the comedian died that morning “surrounded by love and dear friends” after having gone into septic shock the day before.
“He was comfortable and thankfully out of pain,” Steele wrote, going on to explain that Duong's wife, Christina, and 5-year-old daughter, Everest, were both able to say their goodbyes before his death.
“He was alert enough to say goodbye to his little girl, whom he has treasured every moment since the day she was born,” she wrote on the GoFundMe, set up to help cover Duong’s memorial service, as well as Everest's education needs, ongoing care and daily support. “We are devastated, but so grateful for the support, prayers and generosity you have all shown during this unimaginable time.”
“Your continued support now means everything as Christina and Everest navigate the days ahead and to arrange a beautiful celebration of his life,” she added. “All of us will be by her side to hold her up and help her in every way possible.”
PEOPLE has reached out to Duong's representative.
Alex Duong performing at the Laugh Factory in L.A. in 2021Credit: Frazer Harrison/Getty
On March 27, Steele shared that Duong was “fighting for his life” after going into septic shock with a “severe and life-threatening infection that has overwhelmed his body.”
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Emphasizing that everything had “changed so quickly,” she said that both Christina and Duong were “trying to stay strong while navigating the unimaginable” in his final hours.
While he had previously experienced headaches behind his eye, Duong was diagnosed with alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare and aggressive cancer affecting soft tissue, in early 2025 after his manager noticed that his eye looked like it was about to fall out due to swelling and discoloration, per the Los Angeles Times.
Not long after his tumor was labeled “extremely aggressive,” Duong said, he lost vision in his left eye completely and felt as if he was “just being fed and given drugs, sitting there getting fat and missing my family.”
The comedian told the Times that he spent much of the following year managing “excruciating back pain” and frequenting hospitals to undergo chemotherapy and radiation therapy — despite struggling to meet guild minimums for health insurance as a member of SAG-AFTRA.
But eventually, the tumors pushed on his brain and caused him to begin having seizures.
Alex Duong on 'Blue Bloods' on CBSCredit: John Paul Filo/CBS via Getty
As his cancer progressed, Duong found himself back in the hospital for another round of chemotherapy on March 12 as the tumors in his spine had “taken a heavy toll on his body.”
“Christina continues to work full-time while caring for Alex and their five-year-old daughter, Everest,” Steele wrote in an update on GoFundMe at the time. “The emotional and physical weight of everything happening is enormous, and some days it’s hard to even process it all.”
“And yet, Everest continues to bring light into their lives,” she added. “Children have a way of reminding us to keep going, even in the hardest moments.”
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”