'SNL' Pays Tribute to Alum Gilbert Gottfried During Weekend Update Moment

By Allison Schonter

The Saturday Night Live cast is mourning the loss of one of their own. During the latest installment of Saturday Night Live's Weekend Update, the popular NBC sketch comedy show paid tribute to the late Gilbert Gottfried, who passed away earlier this month. Known for his distinctive, shrill voice, crude jokes, and the famous voice behind a number of animated characters, Gottfried first become known to a national audience during his time on SNL. The late star joined the show In 1980, appearing in a total of 12 episodes.

After news broke last week that Gottfried passed away at the age of 67, SNL took a moment of air time to pay their respects. The tribute came at the end of the Weekend Update section. After hosts Michael Che and Colin Jost touched on everything from the New York subway attack and Elon Musk's bid to take over Twitter, the segment ended with a photo of Gottfried from his time on SNL, according to Comicbook.com.

The tribute came just a few days after Gottfried died Tuesday after a long illness. Gottfried's family announced his death via Twitter, sharing, "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 us, please keep laughing as loud as possible in Gilbert's honor." Gottfried's rep, Glenn Schwartz, later confirmed that Gottfried died from a heart abnormality called Ventricular Tachycardia due to Myotonic Dystrophy type II. Gottfried was 67.

Born in Brooklyn in 1955, Gottfried began his comedy career at just 15 years old. In 1980, he joined the Saturday Night Live cast. Although he only made a handful of appearances, it didn't stop him from finding success as "the comedian's comedian." He went on to make his film debut in The House of God in 1984 and later starred in Beverly Hills Cop II.

Gottfried, however, was perhaps most well-known as the voice behind dozens of animated characters. In 1992, 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. His other animated credits include the Ren & Stimpy Show, Superman: The Animated Series, Hercules, Dilbert, The Fairly OddParents, and SpongeBob Squarepants. His final role was playing God in Adult Swim's Smiling Friends. Gottfried is survived by his wife, Dara Kravitz, and their children, Lily and Max.

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