Comedian and ‘Aladdin’ Voice Actor Gilbert Gottfried Dead at 67: Jason Alexander, Kathy Griffin and More Stars React

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Comedian and ‘Aladdin’ Voice Actor Gilbert Gottfried Dead at 67: Jason Alexander, Kathy Griffin and More Stars React

Always in their hearts. Celebrities including Jason Alexander and Kathy Griffin mourned the loss of comedian Gilbert Gottfried after his death on Tuesday, April 12. The beloved stand-up — who famously voiced Iago in 1992’s Aladdin and the animated series by the same name from 1994 to 1995 — was 67 years old when he passed. “We are heartbroken to announce the passing of our beloved Gilbert Gottfried after a long illness,” the late star’s family announced on Tuesday via a social media statement. “In addition to being the most iconic voice in comedy, Gilbert was a wonderful husband, brother, friend and father to his two young children.” The statement concluded: “Although today is a sad day for all of us, please keep laughing as loud as possible in Gilbert’s honor.” Gottfried is survived by his wife, Dara Kravitz, and their two children, Lily, 14, and Max, 12. The New York native’s rep confirmed Gottfried’s death via a statement to Us Weekly on Tuesday, revealing that the Hassle at the Castle actor died from Recurrent Ventricular Tachycardia due to Myotonic Dystrophy type II. The genetic disease is rare, according to the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences. It affects the muscles and other body systems with symptoms such as muscle weakness, pain and stiffness. [jwplayer g5FdXMrS-zhNYySv2] “Gilbert’s brand of humor was brash, shocking and frequently offensive, but the man behind the jokes was anything but,” Gottfried’s friend and “Gilbert Gottfried’s Amazing Colossal Podcast!” cohost Frank Santopadre said in a statement. “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. He’ll be dearly missed by family, friends, fans and comedy lovers the world over. To quote Gilbert himself, ‘Too soon!’” Gottfried broke into the entertainment industry as a teenager and became a household name with the help of his voice work on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series and Cyberchase. Throughout his career, Gottfried’s humor touched many, including Alexander, 62, who paid tribute to the late actor on Tuesday. “Gilbert Gottfried made me laugh at times when laughter did not come easily. What a gift,” the Seinfeld alum wrote via social media. “I did not know him well but I loved what he shared with me. Griffin, for her part, was stunned by the news of Gottfried’s passing, sharing three broken heart emojis alongside her Twitter tribute to the Problem Child actor. Scroll down to see what other celebrities are honoring the late comedian: [podcast_block]

Credit: Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP/Shutterstock; Aurora Rose/Shutterstock

Comedian and ‘Aladdin’ Voice Actor Gilbert Gottfried Dead at 67: Jason Alexander, Kathy Griffin and More Stars React

Always in their hearts. Celebrities including Jason Alexander and Kathy Griffin mourned the loss of comedian Gilbert Gottfried after his death on Tuesday, April 12. The beloved stand-up — who famously voiced Iago in 1992’s Aladdin and the animated series by the same name from 1994 to 1995 — was 67 years old when he passed. “We are heartbroken to announce the passing of our beloved Gilbert Gottfried after a long illness,” the late star’s family announced on Tuesday via a social media statement. “In addition to being the most iconic voice in comedy, Gilbert was a wonderful husband, brother, friend and father to his two young children.” The statement concluded: “Although today is a sad day for all of us, please keep laughing as loud as possible in Gilbert’s honor.” Gottfried is survived by his wife, Dara Kravitz, and their two children, Lily, 14, and Max, 12. The New York native’s rep confirmed Gottfried’s death via a statement to Us Weekly on Tuesday, revealing that the Hassle at the Castle actor died from Recurrent Ventricular Tachycardia due to Myotonic Dystrophy type II. The genetic disease is rare, according to the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences. It affects the muscles and other body systems with symptoms such as muscle weakness, pain and stiffness. [jwplayer g5FdXMrS-zhNYySv2] “Gilbert’s brand of humor was brash, shocking and frequently offensive, but the man behind the jokes was anything but,” Gottfried’s friend and “Gilbert Gottfried’s Amazing Colossal Podcast!” cohost Frank Santopadre said in a statement. “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. He’ll be dearly missed by family, friends, fans and comedy lovers the world over. To quote Gilbert himself, ‘Too soon!’” Gottfried broke into the entertainment industry as a teenager and became a household name with the help of his voice work on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series and Cyberchase. Throughout his career, Gottfried’s humor touched many, including Alexander, 62, who paid tribute to the late actor on Tuesday. “Gilbert Gottfried made me laugh at times when laughter did not come easily. What a gift,” the Seinfeld alum wrote via social media. “I did not know him well but I loved what he shared with me. Griffin, for her part, was stunned by the news of Gottfried’s passing, sharing three broken heart emojis alongside her Twitter tribute to the Problem Child actor. Scroll down to see what other celebrities are honoring the late comedian: [podcast_block]

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Kelly Rizzo

The Eat Travel Rock founder honored Gottfried by reflecting on his friendship with her late husband, Bob Saget. "Bob loved Gilbert so dearly, they had a special friendship," she wrote via Twitter on April 13, sharing a photo of the two having dinner with Norm Macdonald and Jeff Ross. "As he did with everyone in this photo. And sending my love to my wonderful friend Jeff as Gilbert’s loss is beyond painful for him." She concluded her post by noting that she was "thinking of Dara, his amazing & strong wife right now," and sending love to Gottfried's family.

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Viola Davis

"Oh!! What a unique and awesome comedian, actor you were! Always captured my attention. Rest well!❤️," the Oscar winner shared via Twitter.

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Jeff Ross

"I got to say goodbye to Gil last night. He went quietly (surprising, I know) in his sleep from a rare muscle disease that’s been bugging him for awhile. He handled it all like a champ - performing until the end," Ross captioned a series of Instagram photos with the late star. "Nobody made me laugh so hard. He was a wonderful pal and a great dad to young Max and Lily. My heart goes out to Dara who took such great care of him. Although today is a sad day, please keep laughing as loud as possible so Gil and Bob [Saget] and Norm [Macdonald] can hear it. Xo."

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Jonathan Freeman

The Ohio native, who voiced Jafar in 1992's Aladdin, remembered working with Gottfried on the animated film. "Losing a partner is never easy. It breaks my heart," Freeman told People. "Gilbert will be greatly missed. Jafar said it best... 'I love the way your fowl little mind works!' My condolences and much love to his wife Dara, and his terrific kids, Lily and Max."

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Curtis Armstrong

“There is so much to say and I can't find a single word. I'm devastated to hear about Gilbert Gottfried's death. He was unique and brilliant. Just gutted,” the 68-year-old actor tweeted.

Armstrong later shared a throwback photo with Gottfried from the early ‘80s when the friends were in Madrid, Spain together. “We were constantly being mistaken for one another so we developed an idea for a sitcom, starring us, called Thicker Than Water,” he recalled. “We would play twin brothers: my character was a surgeon, his an NBC page. Nobody bit but it still makes me laugh. 💔💔💔.”

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Conan O'Brien

The 58-year-old comedian recalled seeing the late star on tour in the ‘80s, noting just how funny he was in person. “I saw Gilbert perform in 1985 and when he entered to applause he said, ‘Thank you, thank you very much.’ He then continued to say ‘thank you’ repeatedly for ten full minutes,” O’Brien revealed via social media. “It was the nerviest, funniest thing I had seen. So sorry to lose this sweet and delightfully funny man.”

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Ben Stiller

“I don’t think I ever laughed as hard as I did sitting on a flight to L.A. across from Gilbert once in the early 90’s,” the Zoolander star, 56, shared via Twitter. “He would do something funny and not stop till you stopped laughing. God he was funny. So funny.”

He added: “Sending love to his family. #RipGilbertGottfreid.”

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Mark Hamill

"He was a unique voice in comedy on so many levels," the Star Wars actor, 70, said of Gottfried. "Unpredictable, one-of-a-kind, hilarious & irreplaceable! Thank you for the lifetime of laughs, sir."

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Marlee Matlin

“I am so sad to read about the passing of Gilbert Gottfried. Funny, politically incorrect but a softie on the inside,” the Coda actress, 56, wrote via social media. “We met many times; he even pranked me on a plane, replacing my interpreter @655jack (they're like twins). Sending love to Dara & his children. RIP #gilbertgottfried.”

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George Takei

“I shall miss you, my friend, my sometimes foil, my always pain in my side, usually from the belly laughs,” the 84-year-old actor wrote in honor of his late pal. “The heavens are a great deal louder with you out there now, I’m sure. Keep ‘em shaking their heads and smiling, Gilbert.”

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Tiffany Haddish

The Girls Trip star, 42, noted via Twitter, “This is a sad day.”

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Patton Oswalt

The King of Queens alum, 53, tweeted, “F--k you, death.”

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Joy Reid

The MSNBC correspondent, 53, shared a video of herself interviewing the late comedian alongside a touching tribute on Twitter. “Posting this to laugh while I cry. That time I got to Gilbert Gottfried with Gilbert Gottfried at COMICON, back in the #AMJoy days,” she captioned the clip. “What a great and funny guy. Rest in peace and deepest condolences to his family. 😔😢.”

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Jason Alexander

“My best wishes and sympathy to his family. #ripGilbertGottfried,” Alexander added via social media.

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Jennifer Tilly

“Rip Gilbert Gottfried, a brilliant comedian and just the sweetest guy,” the 63-year-old actress tweeted. “We worked together on Goosed. Everybody adored him.”

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Kathy Griffin

“Oh no! Gilbert. 💔💔💔,” the 61-year-old comedian wrote via social media after learning of the news.

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Bridget Everett

The fellow stand-up, 49, commented with three broken heart emojis on the Gottfried family’s Instagram post.

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Meghan McCain

“I really love Gilbert Gottfried's comedy and documentary on his life and — I really wish God would stop taking all the people who make us laugh and happy,” the View cohost, 37, tweeted. “Way too young, way too soon. Love and light to his family and loved ones.”