Gilbert Gottfried, the comedian who lent his iconic voice to the character Iago in Disney's "Aladdin," has died at 67 after a long illness, his family said.

What You Need To Know

  • Comedian Gilbert Gottfried has died at 67, his family announced Tuesday 

  • Gottfried's longtime friend and publicist Glenn Schwartz said in a statement that the comic died from recurrent ventricular tachycardia due to myotonic dystrophy type II, a rare genetic disorder that effects the heart

  • His iconic, raw, raspy voice helped him land a number of prominent voice-over roles, most notably Iago, the parrot companion of the villainous Jafar in Disney's "Aladdin" 

  • Born in Brooklyn in 1955, Gottfried started doing standup comedy at the age of 15 in New York before eventually joining the cast of NBC's "Saturday Night Live" in 1980 for one season

Gottfried's longtime friend and publicist Glenn Schwartz said in a statement that the comic died from recurrent ventricular tachycardia due to myotonic dystrophy type II, a rare genetic disorder that effects the heart. 

“We are heartbroken to announce the passing of our beloved Gilbert Gottfried after a long illness," his family wrote on Twitter. "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," they added.

Born in Brooklyn in 1955, Gottfried started doing standup comedy at the age of 15 in New York before eventually joining the cast of NBC's "Saturday Night Live" in 1980 for one season. He also gained nationwide acclaim for a series of promos for the newly formed network MTV.

Gottfried also became a frequent guest on The Howard Stern Show beginning in the 1980s, where he was renowned for his quick, albeit crude, humor, as well as his impressions of Bela Lugosi's Dracula and fellow comedian Andrew "Dice" Clay.

He was also no stranger to controversy. Gottfried had an uncanny ability to clear a room with an off-color joke and win it back just as quickly with his wit and timing. At a Friar's Club Roast of Hugh Hefner, which was taped days after the September 11, 2001, terror attacks, Gottfried was booed and heckle by the crowd for telling a joke related to the attacks. But he quickly pivoted and launched into a rendition of "The Aristocrats" joke, which brought down the house. 

In 2011, after he told a series of jokes on Twitter after a devastating earthquake in Japan, Aflac fired Gottfried from his role as the Aflac Duck.

Gottfried's iconic, raw, raspy voice helped him land a number of prominent voice-over roles, most notably Iago, the parrot companion of the villainous Jafar in Disney's "Aladdin." He reprised the role in the film's sequels, an animated television series, as well as a number of related media, including the video game "Kingdom Hearts."

Gottfried also loaned his voice to Superman villain Mister Mxyzptlk in a number of DC Comics animated properties, Kraang Subprime in "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" and a number of other animated series and films over the course of three decades.

Frank Santopadre, who co-hosted "Gilbert Gottfried's Amazing Colossal Podcast" with Gottfried, said the comic's "brand of humor was brash, shocking and frequently offensive," but noted "the man behind the jokes was anything but."

"Those who loved and him 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 in a statement.  

Gottfried is survived by his wife Dara Kravitz, his sister Karen and his two children.