Comedian Gilbert Gottfried dead at 67 of Myotonic Dystrophy

Gilbert Gottfried, a comedian, died at the age of 67. According to a statement on his verified Twitter profile, he died after a protracted illness.

We are sorry to confirm Gilbert Gottfried’s demise after a long illness, his family announced in a release. The actor, famed for his distinct voice, strong delivery, and unvarnished wit, has long suffered from myotonic dystrophy, a rare hereditary disorder that causes muscular wasting or weakness.

RIP Gilbert Gottfried who, at the Aladdin premiere, leaned down, looked me dead in the eye, screwed up his face, and exclaimed, “Animal Tease? YOUR NAME IS ANIMAL TEASE?!”

You were awesome and that made my entire night. ❤️

— Anna Maltese ? ? ? (@MalteseAnna) April 13, 2022

During his career, Gilbert Gottfried influenced a lot of many other comedians and provided his legendary voice for parts in Aladdin, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and other films. Glenn Schwartz, the comic’s longtime friend, and publicist revealed in a declaration that the comedian expired of recurrent ventricular tachycardia caused by myotonic dystrophy type II.

Following Tuesday night, the ensemble paid tribute to Gottfried in a touching tribute offered by Don Darryl Rivera, who performs Iago. The late actor was the first one to perform Iago in Disney’s famous picture.

The Brooklyn-born stand-up comic was a regular on the New York comedic club scene in the 1970s, but his big break arrived in 1980, when he entered the crew of NBC’s Saturday Night Live because of its sixth season. However, failed to take off, and he was sacked after just one year.

However, to his stand-up routines, Gilbert Gottfried appeared in films such as Beverly Hills Cop II, Problem Child, as well as its sequel. In Disney’s 1992 animated picture, he also performed the voice of Iago, the wise-cracking parrot. Read more about Comedian Actor Johnny Brown Dies at 84.

Gilbert Gottfried previously hosted the USA up All Night, a show that featured largely limited movies interspersed with Gottfried’s comic sketches and sarcastic comments. From 1989 through 1998, the episode premiered on the USA Network.