# Gilbert Gottfried has passed away {April 12, 2022} **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** celebrity-death\ **Created:** [April 12, 2022, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gilbert-gottfried-has-passed-away-april-12-2022/962736 "2022-04-12T20:06:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2022, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gilbert-gottfried-has-passed-away-april-12-2022/962736/21 "2022-04-12T21:45:18Z")
Yes, that is one of the meanings of seminal. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2022, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gilbert-gottfried-has-passed-away-april-12-2022/962736/22 "2022-04-12T21:48:06Z")
Gilbert harkens back to Lenny Bruce. Lenny felt it was important to discuss any subject. Lenny wanted his audience to squirm. I never saw Gilbert in a club. I always thought he worked Blue. Probably toe-curling profanity. The shock factor is important. I appreciate his vision for comedy. I’m not sure I could listen to his voice for very long. I never understood it. IIRC his real voice is on the Internet and is pretty normal. RIP Gilbert. Thank you for the years of laughs. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2022, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gilbert-gottfried-has-passed-away-april-12-2022/962736/23 "2022-04-12T22:09:37Z")
> [@Llama\_Llogophile](#): > > Penn Jillette is going to be inconsolable. He thought the world of Gilbert. That’s one of the first things I thought of. I recently listened to two “Penn’s Sunday School” podcast episodes where Gilbert was the guest. The absolutely best part of the experience was hearing Gottfried’s laugh. I couldn’t get enough of it. mmm ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2022, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gilbert-gottfried-has-passed-away-april-12-2022/962736/24 "2022-04-12T22:11:33Z")
Sorry to hear this. Not my favourite comedian, I quickly grew tired of _The Aristocrats_ which is better in theory. But he was fearless, clever and quick-witted. Such a distinctive voice. I was surprised to find out I liked his talk show on Comedy Radio, even though I do not much care for celebrity culture. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2022, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gilbert-gottfried-has-passed-away-april-12-2022/962736/25 "2022-04-12T22:21:30Z")
I remain a huge fan of his USA Up All Night segments. Hillarious bits like The Comedian In The Cupboard and I Was The Fifth Ramone. The films on USA Up All Night were generally forgettable and not worth staying up for. Gilbert was. ---
**Author:** ![Lancia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lancia/32/17174_2.png) [@Lancia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lancia)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2022, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gilbert-gottfried-has-passed-away-april-12-2022/962736/26 "2022-04-12T22:30:28Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > I’m not sure I could listen to his voice for very long. I never understood it. IIRC his real voice is on the Internet and is pretty normal. I thought he was very funny but his voice became part of his persona and to my ears it was just grating – like the opposite of Ben Stein. [Here he is on SNL, before he became big, talking in his normal voice](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idtrUge0wAQ). There’s some clips on YouTube of him on Howard Stern speaking normally as well. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2022, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gilbert-gottfried-has-passed-away-april-12-2022/962736/27 "2022-04-12T22:32:48Z")
I thought it was awfully quiet today. This is the funniest thing I ever saw him in: ([The You Fool! Sequence from Hollywood Squares - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WM-3QDQGmHo&ab_channel=DanielWestrick)) ---
**Author:** ![Morgyn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morgyn/32/3041_2.png) [@Morgyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgyn)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2022, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gilbert-gottfried-has-passed-away-april-12-2022/962736/28 "2022-04-12T22:57:12Z")
I _love_ this, but I hate that you posted it before I did. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2022, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gilbert-gottfried-has-passed-away-april-12-2022/962736/29 "2022-04-12T22:58:41Z")
> [@Lancia](#): > > [Here he is on SNL, before he became big, talking in his normal voice](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idtrUge0wAQ). There’s some clips on YouTube of him on Howard Stern speaking normally as well. I remember the voicemail messages being played on Howard Stern. It was the first time I’d heard his regular voice. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2022, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gilbert-gottfried-has-passed-away-april-12-2022/962736/30 "2022-04-12T23:09:23Z")
I remember Jay Leno used Gilbert in various skits on The Tonight show. I think they were good friends. Loved his Riff on Harry Potter. The dialog isn’t very good. It’s Gilbert’s timing and delivery that sells it _Jay: In the movie you have a hard time asking a girl for a date. What happens? Gilbert: I fall Back on plan B. Jay: What is that? Gilbert: Hire a Hooker. Jay: stop with that! Your only 14!_ [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/Ib6jAtmdHxI/hqdefault.jpg "Harry Potter and the Gobblet of Fibre") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ib6jAtmdHxI) ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2022, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gilbert-gottfried-has-passed-away-april-12-2022/962736/31 "2022-04-13T00:30:26Z")
Best part of The Aristocrats. ---
**Author:** ![not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_what_you_d_expect/32/3246_2.png) [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2022, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gilbert-gottfried-has-passed-away-april-12-2022/962736/32 "2022-04-13T00:34:46Z")
RIP Mr. Gottfried. You sure made us all laugh. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2022, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gilbert-gottfried-has-passed-away-april-12-2022/962736/33 "2022-04-13T03:12:23Z")
I saw him in comedy clubs twice. The first time he was doing some great funny material when someone in the audience was stupid enough to heckle him. He took the guy apart atom by atom. When a comedian says “I killed” that moment will always come to mind. But the second time was all-time greatness. Almost every public event in Rochester, home to the National Technical Institute for the Deaf, is signed. This catches touring comedians off guard, both for the novelty, and because their timing gets thrown off when one small section of the room is laughing several seconds after everybody else. Gottfried is odd for not wandering around the stage. He sticks the microphone right at the front and stays there, forcing the audience to come to him. The way the stage was set up in the second location, the interpreter was slightly behind him, signing to a corner, so he was very slow to realize what her presence meant. At the end, he does old dirty jokes. And the penny dropped. He said, I don’t do this anymore but I will tonight. He meant, of course, the Aristocrats. He was funnily filthy. But the interpreter took every piece of filth and _danced_ it with her entire body. She essentially dared him to come up with something that she couldn’t match and act out if necessary. They dueled back and forth for a long time while the audience had hysterics. She seemed funnier than he was, without a sound. If any individual piece of comedy deserved - required - video recording that was the night. It wasn’t, obviously, or it would be racking up billions on views online. He was the master of reading the room, and funny beyond belief. ---
**Author:** ![Baal\_Houtham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baal_houtham/32/13604_2.png) [@Baal\_Houtham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baal_Houtham)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2022, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gilbert-gottfried-has-passed-away-april-12-2022/962736/34 "2022-04-13T13:34:30Z")
> [@MeanOldLady](#): > > Best part of The Aristocrats. Welcome the hell back, wise and funny person. And for anyone who has not seen Gottfried’s roast of Joan Rivers, here’s the [sonically NSFW link](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UuXgsE9BvH0). ---
**Author:** ![Raza](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/raza/32/213_2.png) [@Raza](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raza)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2022, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gilbert-gottfried-has-passed-away-april-12-2022/962736/35 "2022-04-13T15:55:53Z")
I have really been enjoying his podcast the past couple of years. While he defers to his co-host to do a lot of the housekeeping and general question-asking, he’d chime in with great questions as well as crazy comments. His guests were frequently ones that I found interesting, including so many from “the old days”. ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2022, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gilbert-gottfried-has-passed-away-april-12-2022/962736/36 "2022-04-13T16:30:41Z")
[**Gottfried posted this picture on January 21st. In less than 3 months, all three are dead.**](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FJo4UAWXsAYKjY5?format=jpg&name=large) ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2022, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gilbert-gottfried-has-passed-away-april-12-2022/962736/37 "2022-04-13T17:00:10Z")
No longer moist. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2022, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gilbert-gottfried-has-passed-away-april-12-2022/962736/38 "2022-04-13T17:57:11Z")
> [@Jasmine](#): > > [**Gottfried posted this picture on January 21st. In less than 3 months, all three are dead.**](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FJo4UAWXsAYKjY5?format=jpg&name=large) I posted that up above, but I do want to point out that the actual picture was from 2016. There was confusion if the pic was from 3 months ago, but it isn’t. Still, Saget, Louie, and Gilbert? Yeesh. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2022, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gilbert-gottfried-has-passed-away-april-12-2022/962736/39 "2022-04-13T18:11:44Z")
Of course comedy radio is playing a lot of Gilbert. A lot of it is pretty funny. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2022, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gilbert-gottfried-has-passed-away-april-12-2022/962736/40 "2022-04-13T20:24:04Z")
I loved him in _Scrooged._. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gilbert-gottfried-has-passed-away-april-12-2022/962736.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gilbert-gottfried-has-passed-away-april-12-2022/962736.md?page=3)