On April 12, Gilbert Gottfried passed away at the age of 67, and the public has been honoring the man with all kinds of tributes and recollections. For instance, many have been revisiting a photo of Gottfried with Bob Saget and Louie Anderson, taking note of how bittersweet seeing the three of them together now since Saget died on January 9 and we lost Anderson on January 21. Many celebrities, including Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane and fellow comedian Jon Stewart, have also shared their own tributes to Gottfried over the last few days.
In Seth MacFarlane’s case, he had the opportunity to work with Gilbert Gottfried on several occasions, including the actor/comedian providing his vocal talents for a couple Family Guy episodes, as well as appearing as Abraham Lincoln in A Million Ways to Die in the West. MacFarlane specifically referenced the 2014 movie while commenting on Gottfried’s passing:
Gilbert Gottfried made me laugh so hard that day on set, I could barely do my job. A wholly original comic, and an equally kind and humble guy behind the scenes. He will be missed. https://t.co/93cKB6KEg8April 12, 2022
Jon Stewart also had the pleasure of knowing Gilbert Gottfried thanks to the former opening for the latter during his early days as a standup comedian. Here’s what The Problem with Jon Stewart’s eponymous host had to say about the late actor:
RIP Gilbert. Opening for Gilbert Gottfried at Carolines and Princeton Catch was one of the great thrills of my early stand up life. He could leave you gasping for breath…just indescribably unusually hilarious…Damn.April 12, 2022
Marlee Matlin, one of the cast members in the Best Picture-winning CODA, expressed her sadness for Gilbert Gottfried’s passing, with the two of them having crossed paths on numerous occasions, including at the Comedy Central Roast of Donald Trump. Here’s what she had to say:
I am so sad to read about the passing of Gilbert Gottfried. Funny, politically incorrect but a softie on the inside. We met many times; he even pranked me on a plane, replacing my intepreter @655jack(they're like twins). Sending love to Dara & his children. RIP #gilbertgottfried pic.twitter.com/R4mxWBRsNoApril 12, 2022
Of course, one of Gilbert Gottfried’s most beloved roles was Iago the Parrot, who he voiced in 1992’s Aladdin (where he frequently had to rerecord lines), its two direct-to-video sequels and various other pieces of media. Alan Menken, who composed Aladdin’s musical score, had this to say about Gottfried:
I’m just heartbroken about Gilbert Gottfried’s passing. I had no idea he was battling an illness. He was a treasure; a hilarious, deeply feeling, mensch of a man. pic.twitter.com/v0fykzjjfxApril 12, 2022
Finally, there’s a video of Gilbert Gottfried that’s been making the rounds after his death was announced showing his 1999 appearance on Hollywood Squares, where he repeatedly kept trolling the episode’s two contestants. Tom Bergeron, who hosted the game show back then, appeared on Gottfried’s Amazing Colossal Podcast back in 2017 to talk about the Hollywood Squares hijinks and other topics, and the former Dancing with the Stars host shared that episode for those who missed it the first time around.
Hear @RealGilbert and I reminisce about the classic “You Fool!” episode of Squares, share our “brings the funny” in-joke and tell tales of Stooges, Batman bad-guys and much more… https://t.co/TASOg5m4RCApril 14, 2022
These are just a handful of the celebrities who’ve shared tributes to Gilbert Gottfried on Twitter and other social media, so feel free to look elsewhere on the internet to see what others have said about him. We could spend all day talking about Gottfried’s work in the entertainment business, but some of his notable credits from recent years include Nickelodeon’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Justice League Action, three Sharknado movies, Historical Roasts and Smiling Friends. He was also the subject of the 2017 documentary Gilbert, which won the Special Jury Prize at the deadCENTER Film Festival.
CinemaBlend continues to offer its condolences to Gilbert Gottfried’s family and friends for their loss. Fortunately, future generations will have no trouble discovering his body of work that so many of us have already enjoyed for years.
