Alex Duong was a Los Angeles-based comedian, writer, and actor. Duong died after a rare and aggressive cancer battle at 42. His death was announced by his friend Hilarie Steele, who wrote in a March 28 update on his GoFundMe page. Hilarie revealed that Duong was hospitalized with septic shock on Friday night and died on March 28 at St. John's Hospital in Santa Monica, California."With the heaviest hearts, we share that our dear Alex passed away peacefully this morning, surrounded by love and dear friends. He was comfortable and thankfully out of pain." View this post on Instagram Instagram PostHilary revealed that his wife, Christina, and daughter, Everest, visited him last night, and that he was alert enough to say goodbye to his family. The statement continued,"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.”Alex Duong was diagnosed with alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare and aggressive cancer affecting soft tissue, last year. Duong underwent surgery to remove a malignant growth that blocked blood flow to his optic nerve and caused vision loss.At the time, his friends, Hilarie and Gregg Steele, posted a GoFundMe to support his family's medical expenses and loss of work.More about Alex DuongAmerican Comedian Alex Duong was best known for playing the recurring role of criminal and gang leader Sonny Le in the television series, Blue Bloods. He also guest-starred in Everybody Hates Chris, The Young and the Restless, 90210, Mad TV, Death Valley, and Dexter. Duong also performed stand-up comedy gigs and gained recognition for his jokes surrounding his Vietnamese heritage. Duong is the youngest of six children of Huong Thanh Le (tailor) and Noul Van Duong (machinist), and is of Vietnamese and Chinese origin. Duong grew up in Dallas, Texas, where he attended Skyline High School and eventually North Dallas High. He went on to pursue a degree in Medicine.As per his ImdB profile, Duong's writings on the Vietnam War gained him a full scholarship, along with a meeting with the producers in Orange County, California. He left university to pursue a career in comedy and writing. Duong wrote for Netflix's Historical Roast with Jess Ross and also became the first Vietnamese cis-male to perform on Comedy Central at Roast Battle Season 3.