Gilbert Gottfried was making people laugh until the very end.
In a clip posted to the beloved comedian’s official Twitter account, the Aladdin star — who died at age 67 last month — can be seen making jokes while recording what would be one of the final episodes of his podcast — just hours before he was hospitalized for the final time.
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The video’s caption read:
“Last video of Gilbert’s last recording of “Gilbert Gottfried’s Amazing Colossal Podcast”. Doing his James Mason impression with guest Brenda Vaccaro. A few hours later he would be rushed to the hospital. @SiriusXMComedy @Franksantopadre”
Watch the bittersweet footage (below):
Last video of Gilbert’s last recording of “Gilbert Gottfried’s Amazing Colossal Podcast”. Doing his James Mason impression with guest Brenda Vaccaro. A few hours later he would be rushed to the hospital. @SiriusXMComedy @Franksantopadre pic.twitter.com/CtHo3qFOUW
— Gilbert Gottfried (@RealGilbert) May 4, 2022
Talk about poignant. The man truly loved what he did!
As we reported, Gottfried’s family confirmed his death in a statement posted on Twitter April 12, 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.”
The actor’s longtime friend and publicist, Glenn Schwartz, later revealed Gottfried died from Recurrent Ventricular Tachycardia due to type II myotonic dystrophy, a kind of muscular dystrophy.
The disease has no cure or treatment and typically appears when people are in their 20s and 30s. Elizabeth McNally, the director of the Northwestern University Center for Genetic Medicine, told NBC News the “slowly progressive” disease is often overlooked and undiagnosed, sharing:
“People can have symptoms for quite a while even before they notice it.”
She said symptoms, which include breathing or heart muscle weakness, tend to develop more as people age, so some patients might not be diagnosed until their 40s, 50s or 60s, or they may dismiss their symptoms as other age-related health issues.
Days after his death, Gilbert was laid to rest in a star-studded funeral attended by Jeff Ross, Colin Quinn, Susie Essman, Mario Cantone, Dave Attell, and Paul Shaffer, as well as Bob Saget‘s family. In his touching eulogy, Ross commended Gottfried for his incredible accomplishments throughout his legendary career, sharing:
“50 years in show business, 50 years! He went on stage as a teenager and he never stopped. He was supposed to do a show last week. This man has been making people laugh for half a century. What a mitzvah. What a mission in life. What a purpose to have in this world.”
We think it’s safe to say: mission accomplished.
[Image via JRE/YouTube]
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