The family of actor and stand-up comedian Gilbert Gottfried announced his death today after a long illness. Gottfried was 67 years old. Disney fans will know Gottfried as the voice of the scheming animated parrot Iago from the Aladdin movies, television series, and video games (including Kingdom Hearts).
“We are heartbroken to announce the passing of our beloved Gilbert Gottfried after a long illness. 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,” his family said in a post to Twitter.
Gottfried’s shrill voice was perfect for the sidekick villainous parrot Iago in Disney’s “Aladdin.” Recently Gottfried was the host of a podcast with an interview format and the subject of documentary in 2017.
Here Gottfried tells People how he brought the character of Iago to life.
Accolades and memories are already beginning to pour in from the celebrity world including this post to twitter from Jason Alexander.