Aladdin voice actor Scott Weinger paid tribute to his “one of a kind” co-star Gilbert Gottfried, who died Tuesday at age 67. Weinger and Gottfried starred together in Disney’s animated Aladdin in 1992, with Weinger playing the titular street rat-turned-prince and Gottfried voicing the short-tempered parrot Iago. The co-stars reprised their respective roles in numerous cartoons, video games, and straight-to-video sequels, including Aladdin 2: The Return of Jafar, Aladdin and the King of Thieves,television’s Aladdin: The Series, and Kingdom Hearts.
“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,” reads a statement from Weinger and Aladdin co-stars Linda Larkin and Jonathan Freeman. “Gilbert Gottfried, you were one of a kind. The world was lucky to have you, and so were we. Love, Scott, Linda, & Jonathan.”
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Weinger and Gottfried recently reunited and appeared alongside Larkin, Freeman, and Frank Welker at the GalaxyCon Richmond convention in March 2020.
Gottfried’s family announced the actor and comedian’s death Tuesday on social media, writing, “We are heartbroken to announce the passing of our beloved Gilbert Gottfried after a long illness. In addition to being the most iconic voice in comedy, Gilbert was a wonderful husband, brother, friend, and father to his two young children. Although today is a sad day for all of us, please keep laughing as loud as possible in Gilbert’s honor. Love, the Gottfried family.”
Gottfried died from recurrent ventricular tachycardia due to myotonic dystrophy type II, a rare genetic muscle disease that affects the heart, his publicist Glenn Schwartz confirmed with EW.
Reggie De Leon, who plays the role of Iago in Disney’s Aladdin on Broadway, paid tribute to “comedy legend” Gottfried when dedicating Tuesday’s performance to the “funny man with an indelible voice.” Among the reactions and tributes to the late comedian and actor was a social media post from Jason Alexander, who co-starred with Gottfried in Aladdin 2, Aladdin: The Series, and a memorable episode of the game show Hollywood Squares.
