Gilbert Gottfried.Photo: Brad Barket/Getty
Hollywood is remembering longtime comedian and voice actor Gilbert Gottfriedafter news of his deathat 67.
The star’s “heartbroken” familyannouncedon his Twitter Tuesday that Gottfried died “after a long illness.” He “was a wonderful husband, brother, friend and father to his two young children,” they said in the statement, adding, “Although today is a sad day for all of us, please keep laughing as loud as possible in Gilbert’s honor.”
Gottfried’s longtime friend and publicist Glenn Schwartz told PEOPLE in a statement, “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.”
Seinfeldalum Jason Alexander appeared to be one of the first stars to react to news of the comedian’s death,tweeting, “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. #ripGilbertGottfried.”
Tiffany Haddishtweeted, “This is a sad day.” Kathy Griffintweeted, “Oh no! Gilbert,” and included broken heart emojis, while Amy Schumer wrote on her Instagram Story, “Gilbert was so sweet. Genuinely kind and a legend.”
George Takeiwrote, “I shall miss you, my friend, my sometimes foil, my always pain in my side, usually from the belly laughs. The heavens are a great deal louder with you out there now, I’m sure. Keep ‘em shaking their heads and smiling, Gilbert.”
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In a statement to PEOPLE, Penn Jillette, known for his work with fellow magician Teller as half of the team Penn & Teller, said: “Gilbert was my friend for 35 years. He was funniest person of our lifetime. Being around him when he was improvising was like being around miles Davis, Picasso or Stravinsky. A weird little miracle who will never be replaced. We will miss him so much.”
Jennifer Tillyrecalledworking with Gottfried on the 1999 movieGoosed: “Rip Gilbert Gottfried, a brilliant comedian and just the sweetest guy. We worked together on ‘Goosed.’ Everybody adored him.”
Bill Burrwrote on Twitter, “Rest In Peace Gilbert Gottfried! First time I saw him live he did his Jackie Kennedy bit: ‘Jackie do you remember where you were…’ in front of drunk Bruins fans at Nicks. #RIPGilbertGottfried.” Jon Stewart added in atweet, “RIP Gilbert. Opening for Gilbert Gottfried at Carolines and Princeton Catch was one of the great thrills of my early stand up life. He could leave you gasping for breath…just indescribably unusually hilarious…Damn.”
Known for his work in comedy films and as Iago in Disney’s 1992 classicAladdin, Gottfried was instantly recognizable for his voice.
A standup comicwith a podcastcalledGilbert Gottfried’s Amazing Colossal Podcast!, Gottfried was also known for his work on the popular PBS Kids showCyberchase. His notable movies includeLook Who’s Talking Too,Problem ChildandBeverly Hills Cop II. He was also the focus of the 2017 documentary filmGilbert, about his prolific life and career.
source: people.com
