Alex Duong, a Vietnamese comedian who also appeared in three episodes of the television drama “Blue Bloods,” died on Saturday, his wife confirmed. He was 42.

Duong, whose comedy and acting career was beginning to take off, died of septic shock in Santa Monica, California, the Los Angeles Times reported. He battled alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare form of soft tissue cancer that affected his sight, according to Variety.

“Alex was an incredible husband and father until his very last moment,” his wife, Christina Duong, wrote on Facebook. “He fought so hard for a year and never once complained about the pain he was in. The pain I feel now is nothing compared to what he endured.”Duong’s condition was discovered after he developed a headache in early 2025, USA Today reported. Friends became concerned when they noticed his left eye was bulging, he told the Times.

Duong lost vision in his left eye and within months owed $400,000 in medical costs, according to USA Today.

He also required extensive radiation treatment and chemotherapy, but the cancer eventually metastasized to his spine, the newspaper reported. He was bedridden in February.

In August 2025, the Largo in Los Angeles hosted “The Alex Duong Has Cancer In His Eye Comedy Benefit Show,” Variety reported. It featured comedians like Ronny Chieng, Andrea Jin and Atusko Okatsuka.

Before his diagnosis, Duong was scheduled to open for Chieng, the Times reported. He tried his hand at acting, playing Sonny Le -- “a gang member with a heart of gold” -- on “Blue Bloods.” He appeared in one episode each during the show’s seasons in 2021, 2022 and 2024, according to IMDb.com.

Other television credits included appearances in “Everybody Hates Chris,” “Mad TV,” “Dexter,” “Interns Anonymous,” “Death Valley” and “The Young and the Restless,” Variety reported. Duong also appeared in several films, such as “Formosa Betrayed,” “Ghetto Physics,” “The Beyond” and “Sideways for Attention.”

Duong was born in Dallas on March 20, 1984, the youngest of six children, the Times reported. He left school to pursue a feature development deal for a screenplay he wrote, “Enchanted Melody,” but the project failed due to financing issues.

After Duong’s diagnosis, one of his wife’s coworkers launched a GoFundMe page in February 2025. Donors included businessman, producer and comic Byron Allen, the Times reported. Donations have already topped $128,000.

A memorial service will be held on April 17 at Hollywood Forever Cemetery, according to the GoFundMe page.

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