The beloved actor and comedian passed due to heart complications.

Last night, the family of veteran actor and comedian Gilbert Gottfried announced on Twitter that he had passed away due to heart complications brought on by recurrent ventricular tachycardia, a heart abnormality that he had been struggling with for many years. He was 67 years old.

“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,” his family wrote.

Gottfried was well-known for his loud, distinctive voice and tendency to tackle somewhat sensitive subjects in his comedy head-on. He has numerous classic film and television credits to his name, from his roles in Problem Child and Beverly Hills Cop II to his voice work in animated productions like Aladdin and Family Guy.

Gottfried’s tendency to joke about sensitive topics got him in trouble on several occasions, but it was always his philosophy that comedy and tragedy are intrinsically linked with one another. “I have always felt comedy and tragedy are roommates,” he wrote for CNN in 2012. “If you look up comedy and tragedy, you will find a very old picture of two masks. One mask is tragedy. It looks like it’s crying. The other mask is comedy. It looks like it’s laughing. Nowadays, we would say, ‘How tasteless and insensitive.’ A comedy mask is laughing at a tragedy mask.”

Gilbert Gottfried, actor and standup comic known for his raw, scorched voice and crude jokes, has died at age 67. Gottfried, an independent and intentionally bizarre comedian’s comedian, first came to national attention with frequent appearances on MTV. https://t.co/46wI6iaCNK

— The Associated Press (@AP) April 13, 2022

Hollywood stars and comedians have been offering their condolences and remembrances on Twitter for Gottfried since his passing was announced. “Gilbert Gottfried made me laugh at times when laughter did not come easily. What a gift,” tweeted actor Jason Alexander.

“Deeply saddened by the loss of the genius that was Gilbert Gottfried,” wrote actor and comedian Lewis Black. A foul mouthed angel who gave us endless laughter and joy. I was lucky to be graced by his friendship and the many performances i saw in person. He was as wild as he was innocent.”