Gilbert Gottfried, the actor and legendary standup comic known for his raw, scorched voice and crude jokes, has died. He died at 67.
Glenn Schwartz said in a statement that he died from a rare genetic muscle disease that can cause a dangerously abnormal heartbeat.
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, his family said in a statement.
As a comedian, he was likely to clear a room with anti-comedy as he was to kill it with his jokes.
He was in the cast of SNL in the 1980s, but he first came to national attention with his appearances on MTV.
The parrot Iago in Disney's "Aladdin" was a frequent voice work for children.
He was fond of doing obscure and dated impressions, including Groucho Marx and Andrew Clay.
At the Comedy Store in Hollywood, the managers would have him do his impression of Jerry Seinfeld at the end of the night to get rid of patrons.
His fellow comedians and performers loved him.
Marlee Matlin said she was sad to read about the passing of Gilbert Gottfried. He pranked me on a plane, replacing my interpreter.
When laughter did not come easily, Gilbert Gottfried made me laugh. What a gift.
The son of a hardware store owner and a stay-at- home mom was born in Brooklyn. He began doing standup when he was 15.
Frank Santopadre, a friend of Gilbert's, said in a statement that the man behind the jokes was notGilbert's friend.
He is survived by his wife, sister, daughter and son.
We can be reached at letters@time.com.
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