Alex Duong never stopped fighting. The comedian and actor—known for his recurring role as gang leader Sonny Le on CBS’s “Blue Bloods” and his tireless work at The Comedy Store in West Hollywood—died on Saturday morning at St. John’s Hospital in Santa Monica, California, following a yearlong struggle with a rare, aggressive cancer. He was 42.
Duong went into septic shock on Friday night, overwhelming his body after months of chemotherapy and radiation. His wife Christina and their 5-year-old daughter Everest, saw him the night before his death, and he remained alert enough to say goodbye to his little girl.
Born in Dallas, Texas, Duong was the youngest of six children to Vietnamese and Chinese immigrant parents. He initially pursued a career in medicine at Baylor University on a full scholarship before shifting his focus to entertainment—a gamble that would take him from comedy club doorman to network television actor.
Duong’s diagnosis with alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma came after he developed a headache at the beginning of 2025. What started as a seemingly minor issue escalated when colleagues noticed his left eye bulging so severely that his boss sent him home from work. Medical examination revealed a tumor blocking blood flow to his optic nerve, and a biopsy confirmed the growth was extremely aggressive.
The rare soft-tissue cancer cost Duong his vision in the affected eye and metastasized to his spine despite extensive radiation and chemotherapy. The family didn’t have health insurance when he was diagnosed. By February, he had become bedridden. Medical costs reached approximately $400,000.
Duong appeared in dozens of television shows throughout his career. He played the role of Sonny Le on “Blue Bloods” across three episodes between 2021 and 2024, working alongside Donnie Wahlberg in a recurring arc that made him a recognizable face to the show’s dedicated audience. His credits also included “Dexter,” “The Young and the Restless,” “Pretty Little Liars,” “Everybody Hates Chris,” “90210,” “Mad TV,” and “Death Valley.” He wrote for Netflix’s “Historical Roasts” and competed on Comedy Central’s “Jeff Ross Presents Roast Battle” in 2018, where he became the first Vietnamese cis-male to perform on the show.
According to Deadline, Wahlberg had recently told Duong to prepare for an upcoming “Blue Bloods” spinoff—one more role he would never get to play. Before his diagnosis, Duong planned to tour 41 states throughout 2025, with some dates alongside “The Daily Show” correspondent Ronny Chieng. His career was reaching new heights just as illness struck.
The Los Angeles comedy community rallied around Duong throughout his illness. In August 2025, comedians including Chieng, Atsuko Okatsuka, Andrea Jin, and Fumi Abe organized “The Alex Duong Has Cancer In His Eye Comedy Benefit Show” at Largo in Los Angeles, raising $10,000 for his treatment and family expenses. Tickets sold for $60 each, with fans and fellow performers packing the venue to support one of their own.
“Comedians always have each other’s backs when times are s—t,” Duong told the Los Angeles Times about the support he received during treatment. “We know how hard it is to pine and struggle and scrape by in this lifestyle, just so we can do these jokes and keep improving.”
Duong joined the Comedy Store’s door staff in 2021—a position historically held by aspiring comedians working their way into the club’s lineup. The Comedy Store released a statement following news of his passing: “Alex Duong wasn’t just a door guy, he was family.”
Duong had been a member of SAG-AFTRA since 2009, accumulating credits across comedy, drama, and soap opera genres throughout his nearly two-decade career in entertainment. On the film side, he appeared in “Formosa Betrayed,” “The Beyond,” and “Sideways for Attention.”
Alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma affects soft tissue and typically impacts adolescents and young adults. According to the American Cancer Society, roughly 350 to 400 new pediatric cases of rhabdomyosarcoma occur each year in the United States, with the alveolar subtype representing about 20 to 30 percent of those cases. In adults like Duong, the disease is significantly rarer and carries poorer outcomes—median overall survival for adult patients is just 3.6 years from diagnosis.
The GoFundMe campaign established to help with Duong’s medical expenses had already surpassed its $95,000 goal by the time of his death. The funds will now support his memorial service and provide ongoing care for his daughter Everest and other living costs for his family. Donors included businessman, producer, and comic Byron Allen. Details about a celebration of life are forthcoming.
Duong is survived by his wife Christina and daughter Everest. In his final Instagram post on January 28, 2026, Duong reposted a video from a friend updating fans on his deteriorating condition. His comment beneath the video—”I will walk out of here”—captured the spirit of a fighter who refused to surrender, even when the odds turned impossible.
