Iconic comedian, actor, and Aladdin star Gilbert Gottfried died on Tuesday due to a long illness. He was suffering from a disease called myotonic dystrophy type 2, a form of muscular dystrophy. He was 62.
His family announced his death on Twitter. The post read – “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,”
— Gilbert Gottfried (@RealGilbert) April 12, 2022
He was born and brought up in Brooklyn N.Y. Gilbert started his career in comedy when he was just 15. He landed a short, 12-episode stint on “Saturday Night Live” during Season 6 in 1980, and did a film called “Beverly Hills Cop II,” which ended up being one of his important first roles.
Gilbert was a great comedian and was known for his blunt and raw humor. He gave many famous animated characters voices like Iago the parrot in Disney’s “Aladdin,” robotic bird Digit in PBS Kids’ “Cyberchase”, and Kraang Subprime in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. He had a unique shrill voice that was pretty recognizable.
Many celebrities and comedians expressed grief over Gilbert’s death. Dane Cook wrote, “Gilbert Gottfried was not funny, He was a lovely guy, always friendly and made many people happy.”
The comedian did many more movies like “Problem Child”, “Highway to Hell” and “Looks Who’s Talking Too,”. But the one role that made him unforgettable was Lago the parrot from Aladdin in 1992.
He was a very funny man, however, his raw humor got him into trouble many times as well.
He even got blacklisted by the producers for making masturbation jokes about Paul Reubens’ recent arrest for masturbating in an adult movie theater.
Director Neil Berkeley made a documentary on him in 2017 named “Gilbert,” about his career and personal life. Sometimes his jokes were just too early and offensive to people but he was a person who lived life with no regrets and dared to speak his mind.
