Iconic comedian Gilbert Gottfried dies at 67, tributes pour in

Iconic comedian Gilbert Gottfried has died at the age of 67 after a long illness.

“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,” his family wrote in a statement.

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Glenn Schwartz, Gottfried’s friend and publicist, said that he died on Tuesday afternoon from a heart abnormality called Recurrent Ventricular Tachycardia due to Myotonic Dystrophy type II.

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Gottfried started performing stand-up comedy in the 1970s. He was a cast member on “Saturday Night Live.” He then featured on “The Cosby Show” in the 80s before giving a standout performance as business manager Sidney Bernstein in “Beverly Hills Cop II.”

He also acted in movies like “Problem Child,” “Look Who’s Talking II” and “The Aristocrats.”

Gottfried voiced characters like Iago on “Aladdin” and the Aflac Duck in the early 2000s.

He was then subject of the documentary “Gilbert,” which released in 2017. He also co-hosted a podcast, “Gilbert Gottfried’s Amazing Colossal Podcast!”

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Gottfried became known as “the comedian’s comedian” “because his live performances put aside political correctness while he delivers jokes that know no boundaries,” his representative said in a statement, NBC News reported. 

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Following his death, several people took to social media to pay tributes. 

“Gilbert was one of my few comedy heroes and no doubt one of the comedy greats. this so soon after norm really sucks. do yourself a favor today and spend some time going down the gilbert gottfried rabbit hole, there’s too many great moments to include in one tweet,” one person wrote. 

“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,” another person tweeted.