Gilbert Gottfried, Comedian with Distinctive Voice, Dies at 67

Gilbert Gottfried died Tuesday after a long illness, his family announced. The actor and stand-up died after a long battle with the heart ailment recurrent ventricular tachycardia. Gottfried, 67, was a comedian who's persona featured an exaggerated shrill voice and emphasis on crude humor.

His numerous roles in film and television include voicing the parrot Iago in Disney's Aladdin animated films and series, Digit LeBoid on PBS Kids's long-running Cyberchase, and Kraang Subprime in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Gottfried was the voice of the Aflac Duck until 2011. He appeared in the critically panned but commercially successful Problem Child in 1990.

From 2014 until his death in 2022, Gottfried hosted a podcast, Gilbert Gottfried's Amazing Colossal Podcast, which featured discussions of classic movies and celebrity interviews, most often with veteran actors, comedians, musicians, and comedy writers. "Gilbert," a documentary film on Gottfried's life and career, was released in 2017.

Gottfried provided the voice of the duck in the Aflac commercials and Digit in Cyberchase, as well as Mister Mxyzptlk (pronounced "Mitz-yez-pit-lik") in Superman: The Animated Series. He reprised his role as Mxyzptlk in Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham, Justice League Action, and Lego DC Super-Villains. He also voiced a nasty wisecracking criminal genius named Nick-Nack in two episodes of Superboy (he also co-wrote an issue of Superboy: The Comic Book, which featured Nick-Nack's origin). Gottfried made regular appearances on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.