Rising stand-up comedian Ken Flores, who recently appeared on the Netflix is a Daily Joke podcast and performed at the Netflix Is A Joke stand-up festival, has passed away. He was 28.
Flores’ family announced his death with a brief statement on Instagram.
“It is with great sadness that we confirm the untimely passing of our friend, brother, and son Kenyi Flores,” the post reads. “Please respect our privacy at this time as we are all shocked and devastated by this loss.”
A report from the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner notes Flores passed away Jan. 28 in his home.
TMZ reports the rising comedian passed away after suffering cardiac arrest. A friend reportedly called paramedics and performed CPR on Flores until they arrived, but he was pronounced dead at the scene. The outlet notes Flores was reportedly suffering from congestive heart failure leading up to his death but had been trying to get his health under control.
Flores’ shocking death comes just as the rising comedian’s career was taking off. He had recently kicked off his first national stand-up tour, where he was set to perform in Tempe, Arizona, next.
The comedian had appeared in several podcasts, including Netflix is a Daily Joke and Bert Kreischer‘s podcast, Bertcast. He also performed at the Netflix is a Joke Fest in 2024.
Born in 1996 in Chicago, the comedian grew up in Humboldt Park before moving to Los Angeles in 2023 to pursue comedy full-time. In an interview with Comedy Gazelle, Flores shared that his career picked up rather quickly after he performed at his very first open mic.
“I’m blessed that it was able to go this way, but I had to do it because I had no other option. I just knew I didn’t want to go back to school. I knew I didn’t want to work a regular job. I put my all into this shit, bro,” he said.
Fans and comedians voiced their support for Flores on Instagram after his passing was announced.
“What a tragic and devastating loss to the world. Ken was a gem and was going to be a star one day,” comedian Neema Naz commented.
Chris D’Elia also shared a tribute to the comedian, writing, “This is terrible. So talented and such a good dude. We will all miss him.”
The post R.I.P. Ken Flores: Netflix Comedian Dead At 28 appeared first on Decider.
