He died Saturday morning surrounded by friends. Alex Duong was 42.
Duong had spent years at the Comedy Store on the Strip, working the door and taking the stage. To the Los Angeles comedy world, he was a fixture and a friend.
The cause was alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare soft tissue cancer he’d been fighting since early 2025. It started as pain behind one eye. A doctor found a malignant mass. By the time it was done, he’d lost vision on that side.
A close friend of the family, Hilarie Steele, broke the news on his GoFundMe page. On Friday he’d gone into septic shock. By Saturday he was gone.
His wife Christina and daughter Everest saw him the night before. He was alert enough to say goodbye to his daughter.
“He was comfortable and thankfully out of pain,” Steele’s statement said. “We are devastated, but so grateful for the support, prayers, and generosity you have all shown during this unimaginable time.”
Duong was the youngest of six kids, born in Dallas to Vietnamese and Chinese parents. He came west chasing entertainment. The Comedy Store became home.
His TV credits ran wider than most people knew. He showed up in Everybody Hates Chris, Dexter, Death Valley, The Young and the Restless, Pretty Little Liars, and Filth City. In the 2014 comedy series Cost of Living he played Genghis Khan across three episodes. On Blue Bloods he came back three times as criminal Sonny Le, going up against Donnie Wahlberg’s Danny Reagan. He also did Jeff Ross Presents Roast Battle and The OnlyFans Roast of Whitney Cummings.
Last August the comedy community showed up. Ronny Chieng of the Daily Show and Spider-Man actress and comedian Atsuko Okatsuka were among those who packed the Largo for a benefit show. They called it the Alex Duong Has Cancer in His Eye Comedy Benefit Show.
He is survived by Christina and Everest.
So sad to see this last night.
As a side hustle in years past, Alex had occasionally bartended for me at private events. Just a great, gregarious guy to work with, and such a proud father.
He was humble to the point that I am just now learning of his many successes in his preferred field.
Even with my somewhat limited interactions with him, he left a strong positive impression. I envy those who knew him more fully.
Rest in power, Alex Duong.