Advertisement

Mark Hamill and Seth MacFarlane lead tributes to Gilbert Gottfried

Mark Hamill, Seth McFarlane and Mel Brooks have paid tribute to late comedian Gilbert Gottfried.

The funnyman, who was well-known for voicing the wise-cracking parrot Iago in Disney's 1992 animation Aladdin, passed away on Tuesday at the age of 67 after a long illness.

His death prompted an outpouring of tributes on social media, with Star Wars actor Hamill tweeting, "He was a unique voice in comedy on so many levels. Unpredictable, one-of-a-kind, hilarious & irreplaceable! Thank you for the lifetime of laughs, sir."

McFarlane shared a video of Gottfried's cameo appearance as Abraham Lincoln in his 2014 comedy A Million Ways to Die in the West and wrote, "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."

Brooks commented, "So sorry to hear about Gilbert Gottfried's passing. Truly a funny, funny guy. So unique. He will be sorely missed," while Amy Schumer wrote on her Instagram Stories that the actor was "genuinely kind and a legend".

CODA star Marlee Matlin, who is deaf, also tweeted, "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 (sic) (they're like twins)."

Gottfried's Aladdin co-star Linda Larkin, who voiced Princess Jasmine, issued a statement on Instagram on behalf of herself and Scott Weinger and Jonathan Freeman, who voiced Aladdin and Jafar, respectively.

"Our hearts are shattered at the loss of our beloved friend, collaborator, behind-the-scenes mischief maker, and most irreverent spirit, full of light and magic. Gilbert Gottfried, you were one of a kind. The world was lucky to have you, and so were we. Love, Jonathan, Linda, and Scott," their message reads.

The cast of the Broadway adaptation of Aladdin also remembered Gottfried during the curtain call on Tuesday night. Don Darryl Rivera, who plays Iago in the production, pulled out his Aladdin VHS that Gottfried once signed and called him a "comedy legend".

"I know that he will be deeply missed by his friends and his fans. The Gottfried family posted on social media, 'although today is a very sad day for all of us, please keep laughing as loud as possible to honor Gilbert.' So on behalf of the entire company here at Aladdin, Mr Gottfried: Thank you for the laughs," he said, to much applause.