Ken Flores, standup comedian and Chicago native, dies at 28
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Standup comedian and Chicago native Ken Flores died this week in the midst of a national tour.
Flores' death was confirmed on his social media. A published obituary said he died Tuesday, Jan. 28.
Flores was 28 years old.
Flores' bio calls his brand of humor unfiltered and unapologetic.
Speaking to The Comedy Gazelle about a year and a half ago, Flores said he moved to Los Angeles from Chicago in 2023. He had only gone on tour for the first time in September 2022.
Flores was born in Chicago and grew up in the Humboldt Park neighborhood, but moved with his family to Aurora after he started "hanging out with the wrong crowd," he told The Comedy Gazelle.
Flores told the publication started making YouTube videos as a young teen, and had some videos go viral on WorldStarHipHop. But by the time he was in his early 20s, he wanted to get back into entertaining — but he had ambitions beyond YouTube.
Flores told The Comedy Gezelle he was working as a teller at a PNC Bank when the owner of the Comedy Shrine in Aurora, who was a client of the bank, would keep inviting him to an open mic at the venue.
Soon afterward, Flores told the publication, he got his first paid gig. As his car had been repossessed, Flores commuted to Chicago from Aurora on Metra trains to get to gigs, he told the publication.
"I did one open mic at The Comedy Bar during COVID. They were doing the patio mic and I just did one set and they passed me," Flores told The Comedy Gazelle. "From there, I got in at Laugh Factory. They do this show called Verified Laughs, and they would do a draw for a guest spot. I commented for like three weeks straight and finally I won. And when I went up and did the spot, I f***ing murdered."
Flores went on to get a gig at the esteemed Zanies from there, and was about to sell out two shows at Zanies Rosemont by June 2023, he told The Comedy Gazelle.
On his website bio, Flores also credited his TikTok and Instagram reels for rapidly propelling him to stardom.
Flores had been scheduled to appear in Phoenix on Thursday and Tempe, Arizona this weekend.