As Hollywood mourns the loss of a comedic great, the world is looking back at Gilbert Gottfried’s incredible career. According to reports, Gilbert was 67 at the time of his death.
Those closest to Gottfried say he had been battling an illness for while prior to his passing. According to People, his publicist revealed that he died due to complications from muscular dystrophy.
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“Beloved and iconic comedian Gilbert Gottfried passed away at 2:35 p.m. ET on April 12, 2022, from Recurrent Ventricular Tachycardia due to Myotonic Dystrophy type II.”
In a statement written by Gottfried’s family that was shared on Twitter, they wrote that they are heartbroken by his passing.
“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 keep laughing as loud as possible in Gilbert’s honor.”
Gottfried’s resume is an extensive one. He began performing stand-up when he was 15 and quickly became a notable voice actor.
Gottfried famously voiced Iago the parrot in the 1992 Disney classic Aladdin. However, what some fans may not realize is that Gottfried is also the voice of another legendary character.
What You Didn’t Know About the Late Gilbert Gottfried
As Variety reports, Gottfried is the voice of Aflac’s duck. However, he eventually was fired from his role as the voice of the duck “after tweeting jokes about the 2011 Tohoku Japanese earthquake disaster, which was the fourth most powerful earthquake to ever hit Japan.”
At the time of his passing, the comedian was hosting a podcast called Gilbert Gottfried’s Amazing Colossal Podcast! The last episode was posted on April 4. Gottfried is survived by his wife Dara Kravitz and their two children Lily and Max.