Gilbert Gottfried Dies: Stars Pay Tribute to the Late Comedian & Actor

Martin Holmes
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Gilbert Gottfriend attends the Tribeca Film Festival
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Tribeca Film Festival

Stars from across Hollywood are paying their respects to Gilbert Gottfried, the legendary comedian and actor who died Tuesday following a long illness. He was 67.

“He was a unique voice in comedy on so many levels,” wrote Star Wars actor Mark Hamill.”Unpredictable, one-of-a-kind, hilarious & irreplaceable! Thank you for the lifetime of laughs, sir.”

Gottfried was an iconic voice in comedy, perhaps best known for voicing the cocky, wise-talking macaw Iago in Disney’s 1992 animated film Aladdin. He also appeared in films such as Problem Child, Look Who’s Talking Too, Beverly Hills Cop II, and The Aristocrats.

His family confirmed the passing on Tuesday, with Gottfried’s representative Glenn Schwartz later sharing that the actor died due to a heart abnormality called recurrent ventricular tachycardia — an arrhythmia caused by the muscle-wasting disease myotonic dystrophy.

“Nobody was funnier than @RealGilbert on a roll. He could put you into convulsive hysterics,” said director Judd Apatow. “He was also the sweetest man. His podcast is a comedy treasure. What a terrible loss. Sending my condolences and love to Dara and his family.”

Academy Award-winner Marlee Matlin shared her memories of Gottfried, writing, “I am so sad to read about the passing of Gilbert Gottfried. Funny, politically incorrect but a softie on the inside.” She added, “We met many times; he even pranked me on a plane, replacing my interpreter Jack Jason (they’re like twins).”

Seinfeld star Jason Alexander noted that Gottfried had the ability to “make me laugh at times when laughter did not come easily.” Meanwhile, actress Jennifer Tilly described the late comic as “a brilliant comedian and just the sweetest guy,” adding, “We worked together on “Goosed.” Everybody adored him.”

New York Times journalist Dave Itzkoff shared a story of meeting Gottfried, writing, “In person he was an unexpectedly gentle guy who loved old showbiz and movie monsters – almost too shy to sit at a table and listen to his wife tell me the story of how they first met.”

Comedian Gilbert Gottfried Dies at 67
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Comedian Gilbert Gottfried Dies at 67

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Gilbert Gottfried




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