Comedian Alex Duong made a heartbreaking comment on last social media post before death at 42

Comedian Alex Duong remained hopeful he could overcome his illness just weeks before his death at the tragic age of just 42.

Duong had been fighting alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare and aggressive soft tissue cancer, for around a year before he passed away on Saturday.

Duong's final heartbreaking post

In his final Instagram post on January 28, the television actor and comedian shared a video of a friend urging fans to support him as his condition worsened.

In the clip, his friend explained: “I just found out my boy Alex, he’s been battling eye cancers, quite a while … and it was going good and he recently had a seizure. And the thing with the seizure, they found out he has something in his spine, man.”

Despite the setback, Duong responded with optimism in the comments, writing: “👏👏 I will walk out of here.”

However, his health took a sudden turn.

On Friday, his friend Hilarie Steele updated supporters via a GoFundMe set up for Duong, his wife Christina, and their five-year-old daughter Everest.

“He has gone into septic shock, a severe and life-threatening infection that has overwhelmed his body,” she said.

“He is in the hospital, and the situation is critical. Everything has changed so quickly.”

Just a day later, Steele confirmed he had passed away, noting he was 'comfortable' and 'thankfully out of pain' in his final moments.

She also shared that he was able to say goodbye to his daughter: “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,” she added.

Duong's praise for fellow comedians

Following his diagnosis in early 2025, Duong was supported by fellow comedians.

In August that year, a benefit event titled The Alex Duong Has Cancer In His Eye Comedy Benefit Show took place at the Largo in Los Angeles, featuring performers including Ronny Chieng and Andrea Jin.

Speaking previously about his experience, Duong told the Los Angeles Times: “Comedians always have each other’s backs when times are s***.

"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.”

“It’s a beautiful thing to see in this world; it really is,” he added.

Featured Image. Credit: Michael S. Schwartz/Getty Images