Gilbert Gottfried death news: Aladdin star dies aged 67 after loss of Bob Saget and Norm MacDonald
COMEDIAN Gilbert Gottfried has died at age 67, his family confirmed on Tuesday.
His death marks yet another tragic loss to the comedy world after Bob Saget and Norm MacDonald's recent deaths.
Gottfried's family shared on : "We are heartbroken to announce the passing of our beloved Gilbert Gottfried after a long illness."
They added: "Although today is a sad day for all of us, please keep laughing as loud as possible in Gilbert's honor."
Jason Alexander, of Seinfeld fame, was one of the first to suggest on social media that Gottfried had passed away, writing on : "Gilbert Gottfried made me laugh at times when laughter did not come easily."
"What a gift. I did not know him well but I loved what he shared with me. My best wishes and sympathy to his family."
Gottfried was known for playing many iconic roles, including lending his distinctive voice to the parrot Iago in the 1992 animated classic Aladdin.
Read our Gilbert Gottfried live blog for the latest news and updates...
Where did Gottfried die?
He died in Manhattan, New York from recurrent ventricular tachycardia complicated by myotonic dystrophy type 2.
Gottfried's controversial jokes
Gottfried was known as a at times, and has been criticized for jokes he made regarding the 9/11 attacks and the 2011 Japanese tsunami.
He also made jokes at the 1991 Emmy Awards about masturbation in reference to Paul Reubens' arrest for masturbating in a movie theater.
How Gottfried’s Iago helped a man’s son, continued
Suskind used the puppet to effectively communicate with his son using his best Iago voice.
Suskind would later write a book on the life-changing finding as a result of that breakthrough.
He even collaborated with Owen to turn the book into a documentary, Life Animated.
How Gottfried's Iago helped a man's son
According to an article, Gotfried's Iago helped a man connect with his autistic son.
In 2014, Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Ron Suskind shared how his son Owen's regressive autism diagnosis came to be in a frustrating, puzzling, and traumatic revelation in an essay for The New York Times.
Those with regressive autism, unlike infants born with it, appear to be developing normally until suddenly losing speech and social abilities. As a result, his "chatty, active" son ceased to speak. For the past four years.
Suskind said that he came across an Iago puppet and thought of his son because the parrot was his favorite character.
Who survives Gottfried?
His wife, Lily, and their two children, Max and Lily, as well as his sister, Karen Gottfried, survive him.
His other sister Arlene Gottfried, a well-known photographer, in 2017.
Did Gottfried release a memoir?
Gottfried wrote Rubber Balls and Liquor, a memoir published in 2011, in which he admitted to his fondness for vulgar comedy but refused to apologize for it.
How did Gottfried start his career?
Gottfried started doing stand-up as a teen in New York and quickly earned a reputation among his peers as a timely comedian, according to the .
Jennifer Tilly pays tribute
Actress Jennifer Tilly took to Twitter to pay tribute to former Goosed co-star.
How old was Gottfried when he died?
Gilbert Jeremy Gottfried was born in Brooklyn, New York, on February 28, 1955.
At the time of his death, he was 67 years old.
Was Gottfried's voice real? continued
Gottfried's voice was described as "sweet and shy," despite the fact that it was powerful and distinct.
In a 2017 documentary honoring the late comic, Jim Gaffigan talked about Gottfried.
"He's a very sweet rather shy person off-stage," Gaffigan added.
In the documentary, Whoopi Goldberg, a well-known actress, and comedian, also spoke about the actor.
"It's quite amazing to see him when he's not on," Goldberg said.
Was Gottfried's voice real?
Gottfried was recognized for having two distinct voices, one of which was somewhat different from the other.
In comparison to his off-stage voice, his on-stage voice was a little more harsh and loud.
His voice was described as "screech laced with a hefty heaping of New York patois" by .
Gottfried's voice was instantly recognizable, and others in the vicinity recognized who was in the room as soon as he spoke.
Did Gottfried voice video game characters?
Gottfried has voiced characters in at least seven video games. These include:
- 1999's Disney's Arcade Frenzy as Iago the Parrot
- 2001's Disney's Aladdin in Nasira's Revenge as Iago the Parrot
- Kingdom Hearts I and II as Iago the Parrot
- Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham as Mister Mxyzptlk
- Lego DC Super-Villains as Mister Mxyzptlk
- Angry Video Game Nerd 1 and 2 Deluxe as Fred Fuchs
What commercials has Gottfried done?
Other than movies and television appearances, Gottfried has also been on various television commercials. Some of those were to promote:
- MTV
- Pepsi
- Pop-Tarts: Voice of the Toaster
- Aflac: Voice of the Aflac duck
- Subway
- Office XP: Voice of Clippy
- Glad
- Shoedini
- Easterns Automotive Group commercials
- Eat24
Where was Gottfried born?
Gottfried, the son of a hardware shop owner and a stay-at-home mother, was born in Brooklyn.
At the age of 15, he began performing stand-up comedy as a hobby.
Tiffany Haddish and Judd Apatow on Gottfried
Among the rest of the tributes being posted to Twitter, comedian Tiffany Haddish and director, screenwriter, and producer Judd Apatow posted their own tributes to the late comedian.
Haddish retweeted the news of Gottfried's death, and wrote, "This is a sad day."
Apatow wrote a lengthier tribute, writing, "Nobody was funnier than @RealGilbert on a roll. He could put you into convulsive hysterics."
Marlee Matlin pays Twitter tribute
CODA actress Marlee Matlin took to Twitter, writing about her experiences with Gottfried.
"I am so sad to read about the passing of Gilbert Gottfried," she wrote.
What was Gilbert Gottfried's net worth?
He was worth $8million when he died, according to .
Gottfried's mother was a housewife, while his father owned a hardware shop, according to the Net Worth.
Also living above the hardware business was the Gottfried family.
At the age of 15, Gottfried began performing stand-up comedy in New York City.
Gottfried's comedy drew the attention of Saturday Night Live showrunners by 1980 when he was roughly 25 years old.
What did Gottfried say about Bob Saget? continued
He continued: “Same guy. Always cracking jokes. The minute any one of us started talking seriously, we’d come in with a totally bad taste joke."
However, Gilbert was shocked by Bob's passing, as he recalled: "Whenever I hear about somebody’s death I always think well okay, okay, were they on drugs?
"Were they drinking? Were they way overweight? Out of shape? Or something and then you find out no, no, none of those are true."
“He was never someone that I ever knew to be on drugs, drinking, or anything like that.”
What did Gottfried say about Bob Saget?
Gilbert's death comes just three months after his buddy and fellow Full House star Bob Saget died in Florida while on tour.
Gilbert remembered Bob in an interview on Dax Holt and Adam Glyn's podcast Hollywood Raw at the time.
“It was like he was looking forward to going back on the road,” Gilbert said of his last conversation with the fellow funnyman.
Does Gottfried have kids?
With his wife Dara Gottfried, Gilbert had two kids: Max and Lilly.
Who did Gottfried play on Law & Order: SVU?
Gilbert Gottfried played Leo Gerber in two episodes of Season 13 of Law & Order: SVU.
Leo was a member of the NYPD's Technical Assistance Response Unit, who was first introduced in the season's ninth episode, Lost Traveler.
He is an expert in analyzing electronics for evidence as a technician.
Gottfried's Twitter account hacked following death
Almost immediately after the announcement of his death, Gilbert Gottfried's Twitter account was hacked to, according to a Twitter account, "promote their OnlyFans."
Who was Gilbert Gottfried?
Gilbert Jeremy Gottfried was an actor and stand-up comedian from the United States.
His comedic character included an exaggerated screaming voice and a focus on coarse comedy.
He has voiced Iago the parrot in Disney's Aladdin animated films and series, Digit LeBoid on PBS Kids' long-running Cyberchase, and Kraang Subprime in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, among other roles in cinema and television.
Until 2011, Gottfried was the voice of the Aflac Duck. In 1990, he starred in the critically panned but financially successful Problem Child.
Gilbert Gottfried's Amazing Colossal Podcast, which he hosted from 2014 until his death in 2022, included discussions of old films and celebrity interviews, most commonly with experienced actors, comedians, singers, and comedy writers.
What is Gottfried known for?
Gottfried was recognized for bringing a variety of cartoon creatures to life, including Iago the parrot in Disney's Aladdin, the robotic bird Digit in PBS Kids' Cyberchase, and the Aflac duck in insurance ads.
Conan O'Brien comments
Recalling his experience watching Gottfried perform, comedian Conan O'Brien wrote a tribute to the actor on Twitter.
"So sorry to lose this sweet and delightfully funny man."