The comedy world is in mourning.

Gilbert GottfriedThe legendary comedian and voice actor, whose work spanned five decades, was announced by his family on April 12.

A Twitter statement said, “We are deeply sorry to report the death of Gilbert Gottfried,” after a lengthy battle. Gilbert, in addition to being one of comedy’s most beloved voices, was also a loving husband, father, brother and friend to his young children.

Family members added that, even though today was a difficult day for us all, we should keep on laughing in Gilbert’s honour.

Gottfried started his career in comedy in the 1970s. His first role was in the film “The Good Doctor”. Saturday Night Live In 1980, he starred in 12 episodes of NBC’s sketch comedy program.

Gottfried, in addition to his stand-up comedy work was also known for being a respected voice actor. He was most famously the voice actor for Iago in Disney’s “The Little Mermaid”. Aladdin The Aflac duck.

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