Alex Duong, a stand-up comedian and actor who appeared on Blue Bloods, died on Saturday in a Los Angeles hospital. He was 42.
Duong’s death was announced by his friend Hilarie Steele via a GoFundMe page that was set up in February 2025 to help the comedian pay for medical expenses as he was battling alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare and highly aggressive soft tissue cancer.
“With the heaviest hearts, we share that our dear Alex passed away peacefully this morning, surrounded by love and dear friends,” Steele wrote in a post on March 28. “He was comfortable and thankfully out of pain.”
Steele said that Duong’s wife, Christina, and daughter, Everest, were able to see him on Friday night and “he was alert enough to say goodbye to his little girl, whom he has treasured every moment since the day she was born.”
“We are devastated, but so grateful for the support, prayers, and generosity you have all shown during this unimaginable time,” Steele wrote. “Your continued support now means everything as Christina and Everest navigate the days ahead and to arrange a beautiful celebration of his life.”
On March 27, Steele had shared that Duong was “in septic shock” and “fighting for his life.”
“He has gone into septic shock, a severe and life-threatening infection that has overwhelmed his body. He is in the hospital, and the situation is critical,” she wrote, adding, “Everything has changed so quickly. Christina is by his side, trying to stay strong while navigating the unimaginable — caring for Alex, advocating for him, and holding everything together for Everest.”
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By Sunday, Steele shared another update, saying Duong’s family was “overwhelmed with gratitude” after the GoFundMe had already reached its goal of US$95,000.
“Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. At the same time, with Alex passing, Christina’s situation has become more serious and the financial needs ahead are much greater than we could have anticipated. Alex’s memorial service, Everest’s education needs, ongoing care, daily support, and what lies ahead for his family mean we must continue raising funds beyond this initial goal,” she wrote.
“Please keep Alex and his family in your prayers. Your support is carrying them through the hardest time of their lives,” Steele added, noting that the family will keep everyone updated “with respect to details of his ‘Celebration of Life.’”
The GoFundMe post had raised more than $122,000 of its $95,000 goal from more than 1,300 donations as of Monday morning.
Duong’s alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma diagnosis came after the actor had developed a headache at the beginning of 2025 and noticed his left eye was bulging, he said in an interview with the Los Angeles Times in 2025.
He revealed that he had a malignant mass blocking blood flow to his optic nerve and lost vision in his affected eye.
Duong said that he was supported by Comedy Gives Back, a community non-profit spearheaded by Amber J. Lawson, Jodi Lieberman and Zoe Friedman and the GoFundMe initiated by Steele.
“It makes me cry because I know people are struggling so hard right now, and they’re still giving,” he said of the donations.
Duong also spoke about his family not having health insurance and that within months, he owed $400,000 in medical costs.
“It was easier to pay the fine when you pay your taxes than to pay $12K a year,” Duong said at the time.
Rhabdomyosarcoma is a rare type of cancer that starts as a growth of cells in soft tissue and often starts in muscle tissue, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Although rhabdomyosarcoma can start anywhere in the body, the Mayo Clinic says it’s likely to start in the head and neck area, urinary system, such as the bladder, reproductive system, such as the uterus, or the arms and legs.
Rhabdomyosarcoma treatment often involves surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy but treatment depends on “where the cancer starts, how large it grows and whether it spreads to other parts of the body,” according to the organization.
Signs and symptoms of rhabdomyosarcoma depend on where the cancer starts but can include headache, bleeding in the nose, throat or ears and tearing, bulging or swelling of the eyes.
Factors that may increase the risk of rhabdomyosarcoma include younger age, as it most often happens to children under the age of 10, and inherited syndromes, as it has been linked to genetic syndromes that are passed from parents to children, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Cancer continues to impact a larger number of people in Canada each year, a trend largely driven by the growing and aging population, according to a 2025 report from the Canadian Cancer Society.
According to the organization, two in five Canadians are expected to be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime, and approximately one in four are expected to die of the disease. The four most commonly diagnosed cancers are lung, breast, prostate and colorectal cancers.
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