Gilbert Gottfried Dies: Groundbreaking, Controversial Comedian Was 67
12.04.2022 - 23:15
/ deadline.com
Gilbert Gottfried, the controversial and one-of-a-kind comedian with a voice as unique as his comedy, died today after a lengthy illness, his family has announced. He was 67.
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A statement posted on Gottfried’s Twitter page reads, “We are heartbroken to announce the passing of our beloved Gilbert Gottfried after a long illness. 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. Love, the Gottfried family.”
With his nasally, shrill and instantly recognizable voice and a comic delivery that melded classic Borscht Belt style with contemporary (and often crass) substance, Gottfried had an appeal that reached adults — he popularized the remarkably vulgar joke featured in the 2005 documentary The Aristocrats — and, through his voiceover work as the parrot Iago in Disney’s Aladdin (1992), and various TV cartoons, at least two generations of children. His Gilbert Gottfried’s Amazing Colossal Podcast was one of the medium’s most popular.
He also voiced the duck in the numerous commercials for Aflac insurance.
Born on February 28, 1955, in Brooklyn, Gottfried began his stand-up comedy career at the age of 15, and became known to a national audience when he joined the ill-fated 1980 season of Saturday Night Live. Gottfried later re-teamed with SNL‘s Eddie Murphy in the 1987 feature comedy Beverly Hills Cop II.
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Other credits include The Fairly OddParents, Ren and Stimpy, Problem Child and Problem Child 2, Becker,