Gilbert Gottfried, the comedy legend best known for his voiceover work and beloved characters has died. He was 67 years old.
“We are heartbroken to announce the passing of our beloved Gilbert Gottfried after a long illness,” Gottfried’s family wrote in a statement posted to his Twitter account. “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.”
Indeed, Gottfried’s voiceover resume was prolific. He was perhaps best known for voicing the scheming Iago in Disney’s animated classic “Aladdin” in 1992. Gottfried went on to reprise the voice of the parrot in each “Aladdin” sequel, spin-off and video game, up until 2019.
Gottfried also lent his voice to beloved animated projects including “Spongebob Squarepants,” “Family Guy,” “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” and more. And of course, Gottfried was the voice behind Aflac’s famous duck mascot for a time.
In recent years, Gottfried also lent his voice to several bits on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” including a few where Gottfried played Ivanka Trump’s husband, Jared Kushner.
The comedy legend did more than just voiceover work. Gottfried got his start doing stand up, and appeared in live action projects as well. He starred as business manager Sidney Bernstein in “Beverly Hills Cop II,” and in the last three “Sharknado” movies. Gottfried was also a cast member on season 6 of “Saturday Night Live.”
The actor and comedian’s family did not reveal the specifics of Gottfried’s illness, only that it had been a “long” battle.