Comedian Ken Flores dies at 28 amid national tour
Comedian Ken Flores died Jan. 28, his family said in a statement shared to his Instagram account. He was 28.
“It is with great sadness that we confirm the untimely passing of our friend, brother, and son, Kenyi Flores,” the statement read. “Please respect our privacy at this time as we are all shocked and devastated by this loss.”
Flores died on Tuesday, Jan. 28, at home, according to a Los Angeles County Medical Examiner report. A cause of death was not provided.
Flores was in the middle of a national comedy tour called the “Butterfly Effect Tour.” He was scheduled to perform in Phoenix Jan. 30 and Tempe, Arizona, Jan. 31.
Flores, who hailed from Chicago, was known for his relatable jokes. He told the Comedy Gazelle in June 2023 that he got into comedy as a way to change his lifestyle.
“The reason I even got into comedy was because I was a heavy drinker, I was a heavy into drugs, and I needed something to break me away from that,” he said at the time. “I wanted to do something with my life besides look forward to the weekends and spend my whole check on bulls–t.”
Flores often hosted the LatinXL show at the Laugh Factory, a comedy venue in Chicago. The show helped promote Latino comedians and “WOULD NOT exist without Ken,” a statement shared to the comedy show’s Instagram account said.
“We were so proud of Ken when he made it in his dream as a kid from Aurora,” the tribute to Flores read. “We were always rooting for him and continued to share stages to present day. LatinXL WOULD NOT exist without Ken. The XL was a nod to Ken for having an ‘XTRA large personality’ and being such a force… which crowds all over the country would inevitably love.”
Comedian Chris D’Elia posted a tribute to Flores Jan. 29, encouraging viewers to watch videos of Flores’ past performances.
“He was really, really, really funny, and he had the whole future in front of him,” D’Elia said. “He was a legend in the making is what I heard somebody say, and it was the truth.”
In his interview with Comedy Gazelle, Flores had shared his plans for the future and said he hopes to “tour for the rest of my life, write new material, and make people happy.”
“One of the things that makes me the happiest is when people tell me, ‘This is the first time I’ve ever gone to a comedy show. I relate to all your s–t, bro, and I had to come see it,'” he said. “I wanna be that voice. I just wanna grow and do this s–t forever, bro.”
