Gilbert Gottfried, Comedian and 'Aladdin' Star, Dies at 67

By Daniel S. Levine

Comedian Gilbert Gottfried died Tuesday after a long illness, his family said. He was 67. The comedian was beloved for his distinctive, shrill voice and crude jokes. He also voiced dozens of animated characters, most famously the parrot Iago in Disney's Aladdin. Gottfried's representative told TMZ the comedian died from a heart abnormality caused by Ventricular Tachycardia due to Myotonic Dystrophy type II.

Jason Alexander shared the news of Gottfried's death. "Gilbert Gottfried made me laugh at times when laughter did not come easily. What a gift," the actor wrote. "I did not know him well, but I loved what he shared with me. My best wishes and sympathy to his family."

Moments later, Gottfried's family shared a statement confirming the sad news. "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 read. "Although today is a sad day for all of us, please keep laughing as loud as possible in Gilbert's honor."

Gottfried was scheduled to appear at Ebertfest 2022 later this month as the subject of the documentary, Gilbert. The film focuses on the lesser-known sides of his life and his successful podcast, Gilbert Gottfried's Amazing Colossal Podcast!. The most recent episode was published on Monday and featured an interview with sportscaster Bob Costas.

Gottfried was born in Brooklyn on Feb. 28, 1955, and began his comedy career at 15 years old. In 1980, he joined the Saturday Night Live cast long before developing his characteristic traits, including his obnoxious voice. He lasted only 12 episodes and was rarely featured. However, it didn't stop him from finding success as "the comedian's comedian" though. He made his film debut in The House of God in 1984 and later starred in Beverly Hills Cop II.

Children became familiar with Gottfried's voice in 1992 when he was cast as Jaffar's annoying parrot Iago in Aladdin. He reprised the role in The Return of Jafar, Aladdin and the King of Thieves, and Mickey's Hosue of Villains. Gottfried proved to be a natural at voice acting. His animated credits include The Ren & Stimpy Show, Superman: The Animated Series, Hercules, Dilbert, The Fairly OddParents, and SpongeBob Squarepants. Gottfried's final TV role was as God in an episode of Adult Swim's Smiling Friends. 

As a stand-up comedian, Gottfried was known for pushing boundaries. He was at the center of several controversies, from a joke about the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks three weeks after they happened to tweets about the 2011 Japanese tsunami. In a 2019 interview with Vulture, Gottfried admitted he enjoys going over the line. "Oh, God knows, but I think the audience likes it too," he said. "You don't want to go on a roller coaster that advertises that this roller coaster goes very slowly and doesn't make any sudden turns of drops."

Gottfried is survived by his wife, Dara Kravitz, whom he married in 2007, and their two children, Lily and Max. His sister, New York City photographer Arlene Gottfried, died in 2017 at 66 after a battle with breast cancer. 

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