Iconic Comedian Gilbert Gottfried Dies at Age 67 After ‘Long Illness’
Comedian Gilbert Gottfried, best known for his signature screeching voice and irreverent humor, died at age 67, according to a statement shared by his family. Here are all the details we know so far about the prolific and beloved comedian’s death.
Gilbert Gottfried’s family announced that the comedian died on Apr. 12
On Apr. 12, Gilbert Gottfried’s family announced the comedian’s death via a statement they posted on his Twitter account.
“We are heartbroken to announce the passing of our beloved Gilbert Gottfried after a long illness,” the tweet began, beneath a photo of the comedian smiling with his hands outstretched toward the camera. “In addition to being the most iconic voice in comedy, Gilbert was a wonderful husband, brother, friend, and father to his two young children.”
The statement concluded, “Although today is a sad day for all of us, please keep laughing as loud as possible in Gilbert’s honor. Love, the Gottfried family.”
Gottfried’s final tweet before the family’s statement was a joke about the infamous Will Smith and Chris Rock slap at the 2022 Oscars. “Which is the worst crime? Chris Rock being physically assaulted or Chris Rock telling a joke?” he captioned a photo of himself with Rock.
Gilbert Gottfried died from a ‘long illness’
While Gilbert Gottfried’s family referenced his “long illness,” the comedian’s longtime friend and publicist, Glenn Schwartz, offered more details about what caused his death.
According to Schwartz, Gottfried died at 2:35 p.m. on Tuesday, Apr. 12 from Recurrent Ventricular Tachycardia due to Myotonic Dystrophy type II (per NBC News).
The comedic actor had a decades-long career and voiced several beloved characters
Gilbert Gottfried performed stand-up comedy for over 50 years, and voiced several beloved characters from animated movies and TV shows.
His most memorable roles included voicing the parrot Iago in Disney’s Aladdin, the evil dentist Dr. Bender and his son Wendell in The Fairly OddParents, and cyborg bird Digit LeBoid in the PBS show Cyberchase.
Besides his voiceover roles, Gottfried also made several film appearances. He was hired as a Saturday Night Live cast member in 1980, and appeared in two episodes of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. He played multiple characters in the Sharknado franchise, and portrayed adoption agent Igor Peabody in the Problem Child movies.
