Aladdin voice actor Gilbert Gottfried dies at 67

What is Gilbert Gottfried’s cause of death?

Gilbert Gottfried

Actor and stand-up comedian Gilbert Gottfried, known for voicing the parrot Iago in Disney’s Aladdin animated films and series, has passed away. He was 67.

The news of Gottfried’s death was originally revealed by his fellow actor Jason Alexander on Twitter before subsequently being confirmed by Gottfried’s family in a statement shared on the late actor’s official social media accounts.

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Gilbert Gottfried’s illness

Though Gottfried’s family didn’t specify his illness, Glenn Schwartz, his longtime friend and publicist, said that the actor died at 2:35 p.m. ET on Tuesday, April 12th, from recurrent ventricular tachycardia due to myotonic dystrophy type II.

Schwartz added that Gottfried became known as “the comedian’s comedian” “because his live performances put aside political correctness while he delivers jokes that know no boundaries.”

Gottfried’s manager, Tommy Nicchi, also issued a statement describing the late comedian as someone who was “as close as you’ll find to a living legend.”

Gilbert Gottfried’s movies and TV shows

In addition to being the voice of Aladdin’s Iago, Gottfried was also known for playing Digit LeBoid on PBS Kids’ long-running animated series Cyberchase, and Kraang Subprime on Nickelodeon’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

On the movie front, Gottfried appeared as Mr. Peabody in the critically panned but commercially successful dark comedy Problem Child in 1990. His other movie credits include The Adventures of Ford Fairlane (1990) and Beverly Hills Cop II (1987). Gilbert, a documentary film on Gottfried’s life and career, came out in 2017.

Gottfried was also the voice of the Aflac Duck in insurance commercials years ago. He lost that gig after joking about the catastrophic 2011 tsunami in Japan, which was a notable example of his often-controversial sense of humor.

Gilbert Gottfried’s podcast

From 2014 until his death in 2022, Gottfried hosted a podcast, Gilbert Gottfried’s Amazing Colossal Podcast, which featured discussions of classic movies and celebrity interviews, most often with Hollywood icons and legends, musicians, and comedy writers.

The podcast was co-hosted by Frank Santopadre, who described Gottfried’s humor as “brash, shocking and frequently offensive, but the man behind the jokes was anything but.”

“Those who loved him and were fortunate enough to share his orbit knew a person who was sweet, sensitive, surprisingly shy, and filled with a childlike sense of playfulness and wonder,” Santopadre said of Gottfried in a statement. “He’ll be dearly missed by family, friends, fans, and comedy lovers the world over. To quote Gilbert himself, ‘Too soon!’”

Remembering Gilbert Gottfried

Since the news of Gottfried’s passing was confirmed, various celebrities from all over Hollywood have taken to social media to mourn the actor and share unforgettable stories of their time with him. Below are some of them:

Gottfried is survived by his wife Dara; 14-year-old daughter Lily; 12-year-old a son Max; his sister Karen; and nephew Graham.

Sources: ComicBook.com, The Washington Post, NBC News