Gilbert Gottfried, the comedian, “Aladdin” star and owner of one of Hollywood’s most famous voices, has died after a long illness, his family announced on Tuesday. He was 67.
His publicist told the Washington Post he died of complications from muscular dystrophy.
“We are heartbroken to announce the passing of our beloved Gilbert Gottfried after a long illness. In addition to being the most iconic voice in comedy, Gilbert was a wonderful husband, brother, friend and father to his two young children. Although today is a sad day for all of us, please laugh as loud as you can in Gilbert’s honor,” his family wrote on Twitter.
Many people in Hollywood, including comedians Jason Alexander, Dane Cook and others, paid tribute to Gottfried after the shocking news of his death. “Gilbert Gottfried was never unfunny,” Cook wrote. “He was a nice guy, always friendly and made a lot of people happy.”
— Gilbert Gottfried (@RealGilbert) April 12, 2022
Gottfried was known for his crude humor, political incorrectness, and high-pitched voice that helped give life to a number of cartoon characters, such as the parrot Iago in Disney’s “Aladdin,” the robot bird Digit in PBS Kids’ “Cyberchase,” and the Aflac Crouch in commercials for the insurance company.
Born on February 28, 1955 in Brooklyn, NY, he began performing stand-up comedy when he was just 15 years old. Gottfried had a brief 12-episode stint on “Saturday Night Live” in its sixth season in 1980, and he reunited with fellow “SNL” Eddie Murphy in “Beverly Hills Cop II,” one of his first major film roles. Howard Stern frequently invited Gottfried on his radio show in the ’80s, where he impersonated the likes of Andrew “Dice” Clay, Groucho Marx, and Bela Lugosi as Dracula.
In the ’90s, Gottfried landed roles in films like Problem Child, Highway to Hell, and Looks Who’s Talking Too, before getting his best-known voice as the parrot Jago in 1992’s Aladdin. Jago was the annoying but funny comic relief accompanying villain Jafar, and Gottfried reprized the role in two direct-to-video sequels and a television series.
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