Los Angeles, Apr 13 (IANS): Renowned comic artiste and 'Aladdin' star, Gilbert Gottfried passed away at the age of 67 after battling prolonged illness, reports 'Variety'.

His publicist told 'The Washington Post' that he died of myotonic dystrophy type 2, a form of muscular dystrophy. Gilbert's family wrote on Twitter, "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 honour."

As per 'Variety', several notable names in Hollywood, including comedians Jason Alexander, Dane Cook and more, paid tribute to Gottfried after the shocking news of his death. Cook wrote, "Gilbert Gottfried was never not funny. He was a lovely guy, always friendly and made many people happy."

Gottfried was known for his crude humour, political incorrectness and shrill voice, which helped give life to a number of animated characters, such as Iago the parrot in Disney's 'Aladdin', the robotic bird Digit in PBS Kids' 'Cyberchase' and the Aflac duck in commercials for the insurance company.