A young comedian whose career was on the rise and was poised to make it big in the Bronx tragically took his life last week.
According to an MTA Spokesman, On April 1, 26-year-old Brian Doney of Kingsbridge lost his life when he was struck by a train at the Metro North Marble Hill Station. The MTA does not believe this was an accident or criminal. The investigation is open and continuing.
Doney passed away the day after his birthday.
His younger brother, Kevin, lost his best friend that day. Kevin told the Bronx Times his brother cared about family and friends, was a good listener, and almost always gave useful, pertinent advice and more importantly he treated everyone with respect.
Kevin knew Brian had something special in his comedy. He made people laugh and he would have made such an impact.
“Brian wasn’t perfect,” Doney said. “Nobody ever is. But he was a great brother, and he was always there for me. This moment doesn’t define him. He had dreams, goals and aspirations. He had so many projects planned for this year, and they all sounded really creative and worth hearing. He believed that his comedy was both funny and engaging, and that people deserved to hear it, even if they didn’t know it yet.
I loved Brian very much, and nothing in life will be quite the same as it was to crack jokes or just talk to him. I looked up to him as much as he looked up to me, for reasons I may never fully understand. He knew me better than anyone else.”
In high school, Doney dated Kyra Walker for two years. Most recently, he visited her while flying through for a trade show, and called her when she was admitted to the hospital on March 16.
They have remained friends along wither mom Kay Walker. Kay Walker went to his comedy show at The Bogey Inn, Shawnee Hills, Ohio, when he was back in town, Dec. 9, 2019. She last spoke with him March 18, while driving out to Denver to see her daughter.
“No one had a clue this would happen,” she said. “We miss him so very much.”
Doney was born in the Bronx and moved to Columbus, Ohio at 10-years-old. He broke his comedy chops in Ohio and about a year or so ago returned to the Bronx. He worked in production full time and was trying to bring comedy to the borough.
He was becoming known for his jokes and was scheduled to have a show at Yonkers Comedy club on March 29 and a spoken word show at the House of Mark West in Mott Haven on April 22. He also recently did an open mic at the Bronx Brewery and planned on creating more events for performance artists in the Bronx.
Additionally, he recorded two comedy albums, “My Mom’s Dead” and “Wrong” and has a few more in the works. Some of his biggest influences include Patton Oswald and Redd Foxx.
