Actor and comedian Gilbert Gottfried has passed away, his family announced today. He was just 67 years old.
The Gottfried family took to the comedian's social media account to share the heartbreaking news. In the post, the family revealed Gilbert Gottfried was dealing with a "long illness."
Longtime friend and publicist Glenn Schwartz offered a bit more specifics in his statement to PEOPLE, confirming that Gottfried passed away at 2:35 p.m. ET on April 12, 2022, from Recurrent Ventricular Tachycardia due to Myotonic Dystrophy type II.
Gilbert Gottfried began his career doing stand-up at the age of 15 before joining the cast of Saturday Night Live. Eventually, Gottfried's success carried him into the realm of movies and television where he appeared in Problem Child (1990), Problem Child 2 (1991), Look Who's Talking Too (1990), and The Adventures of Ford Fairlane (1990).
But perhaps his most iconic role was that of the wise cracking parrot Iago in Disney's animated classic Aladdin and its sequels Aladdin 2: The Return of Jafar and Aladdin and the King of Thieves. He would help bring the parrot to life in dozens of other Aladdin and Disney projects, including the Aladdin television series and various video games, such as the Kingdom Hearts franchise and House of Mouse.
Gottfried's exaggerated shrill voice helped land him various voice work in other cartoons and animated movies, including Nickelodeon's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles animated series (2014-2016) where he voiced Kraang Sub-Prime. He also voiced the crazed dentist Dr. Bender in The Fairly OddParents and Jerry the Belly Button Elf on Ren and Stimpy.
Odds are, if you watched cartoons in the 90s or early 2000s, you've almost certainly heard Gottfried's amazing voice. Gottfried is survived by his wife Dara, 14-year-old daughter Lily, 12-year-old son Max, sister Karen, and nephew Graham.