Gilbert Gottfried, a comedian and film and television actor with a distinctly memorable voice, has died after a long illness, his family announced.
“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 post on Twitter.
The comedian was 67 and had a purposeful life, shared his experience with people before his illness.
Though audiences know him by his grating tone, it wasn’t yet his signature when he debuted as a cast member on “Saturday Night Live” for one season from 1980 to 1981, one of a few seasons without Lorne Michaels at the helm. He mostly performed stand-up throughout the ’80s, regularly appearing on Howard Stern’s radio show.
Though he had a few movie and TV credits in the ’80s, including the hit sequel “Beverly Hills Cop 2,” Gottfried’s celebrity didn’t rise until the 1990s. Throughout the decade, he employed his signature scream-speak in parts in animated films like “Aladdin,” as the mouthy macaw Iago, as well as live-action comedies like “Problem Child,” in which he played a scheming adoption agency employee.
Even when audiences weren’t seeing him on screen as often, he made his voice readily available. For nearly a decade, he’d interviewed comedy and entertainment figures on his podcast, “Gilbert Gottfried’s Amazing Colossal Podcast.” A new episode was released earlier this month.
Numerous fellow comedians and former co-stars of Gottfried paid tribute on social media.
