NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- The cast of Broadway’s “Aladdin” closed the show Tuesday by honoring Gilbert Gottfried, the comedian who played the wisecracking parrot Iago in Disney’s animated version of the show and who passed away that same day.
As the audience applauded the actors, Don Darryl Rivera, who plays Iago in the stage production stepped forward to address Gottfried’s death.
“Tonight we’d like to take a moment to celebrate the life of a comedy legend,” said Darryl Rivera. “A funny man with an indelible voice. The man who breathed life into Iago from the animated film, Mr. Gilbert Gottfried.”
Rivera acknowledged the character he plays would not be the same without Gottfried’s voice acting work and spoke to the strength of the late comedian’s personality.
“Gilbert was really kind and sweet and surprisingly soft spoken, and I know that he will be deeply missed by his friends and his fans,” he said. “On behalf of the entire company here at ‘Aladdin’, Mr. Gottfried, thanks for the laughs.”
The stage show also posted a remembrance on the musical’s official Twitter page.
Gottfried died Tuesday at 67 after a long battle with a rare muscular disease called Type 2 myotonic dystrophy, according to the Los Angeles Times.
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