Alex Duong – a comedian and actor best known for his work on Blue Bloods – was hopeful that he would beat his cancer weeks before his tragic death.
The talented star passed away at 42 on Saturday as he succumbed to septic shock after a battle with a rare and aggressive form of cancer called alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma.
Duong’s final Instagram post was from January 28 when he reposted a video shared by his friend Chris Tran – who runs the Little Saigon, Westminster Instagram account – who asked fans to support the star as his cancer battle took a turn for the worse.
Tran said: ‘I just found out my boy Alex, he’s been battling eye cancers, quite a while… and it was going good and he recently had a seizure. And the thing with the seizure, they found out he has something in his spine, man.’
Duong then heartbreakingly commented: ‘[two hand clap emojis] I will walk out of here.’
A close friend of the family, Hilarie Steele, confirmed to TMZ on Sunday that Duong died early Saturday at St. John’s Hospital in Santa Monica, following septic shock the night before.
Alex Duong – a comedian and actor best known for his work on Blue Bloods (pictured) – was hopeful that he would beat his cancer weeks before his tragic death
The talented star passed away at 42 on Saturday as he succumbed to septic shock after a battle with a rare and aggressive form of cancer called alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma
Diagnosed with alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare and aggressive cancer, Duong began his fight after experiencing severe headaches behind his eye.
The diagnosis led to aggressive treatments, including an eye patch, but the cancer continued to take its toll.
A GoFundMe campaign, set up by Hilarie, was created to help Duong’s journey to regain sight.
Now, the campaign is accepting donations to support his wife Cristina and five-year-old daughter Everest after his passing.
Duong was a fixture of the Los Angeles comedy scene, known as both a performer and a door guy at the world-famous Comedy Store on the Sunset Strip.
Born the youngest of six children to Vietnamese and Chinese parents, Duong grew up in Dallas, Texas, before moving to Los Angeles to pursue entertainment.
His career spanned stand-up, acting, and writing, with notable appearances on Netflix’s Historical Roast, CBS’s Blue Bloods, and The OnlyFans Roast of Whitney Cummings.
He was also a member of SAG-AFTRA since 2009.
Duong’s final Instagram post was from January 28 when he reposted a video shared by his friend Chris Tran – who runs the Little Saigon, Westminster Instagram account -who asked fans to support the star as his cancer battle took a turn for the worse
![Duong then heartbreakingly commented: '[two hand clap emojis] I will walk out of here'](https://www.americanpolibeat.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/1774912398_499_Blue-Bloods-star-Alex-Duongs-heartbreaking-final-comment-weeks-before.jpg)
Duong then heartbreakingly commented: ‘[two hand clap emojis] I will walk out of here’
A close friend of the family, Hilarie Steele, confirmed to TMZ on Sunday that Duong died early Saturday at St. John’s Hospital in Santa Monica, following septic shock the night before
A GoFundMe campaign is accepting donations to support his wife Cristina and five-year-old daughter Everest after his passing
Duong was a fixture of the Los Angeles comedy scene, known as both a performer and a door guy at the world-famous Comedy Store on the Sunset Strip
In early 2025, Duong was diagnosed with alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare soft-tissue cancer that formed a malignant mass behind his eye.
It ultimately robbed him of vision in his left eye and left him with over $400,000 in medical debt.
Despite the grim prognosis and the physical toll of chemotherapy, he continued to perform and advocate for himself, capturing the hearts of the comedy community and fans worldwide.
