Gilbert Gottfried's Final Video Just Hours Before Being Rushed To Hospital Is Heartbreaking

October 04, 2024

Highlights

Gilbert Gottfried passed away from a rare genetic muscle disease, but remained in good spirits until the end.
His final moments were spent making jokes on his podcast, staying true to his comedic identity.
Penn Jillette shared an emotional conversation with Gilbert just before his death, showing the comedian's positive energy and humor.

Gilbert Gottfried made millions of fans laugh throughout his memorable career. Ultimately, a rare illness took his life. Gottfried will always be remembered for his comedic talents, and other things, like his "strange" relationship with Howard Stern.

In the following, we're going to take a closer look at the cause of Gottfried's death, and what his final moments were like. It was business as usual, with Gilbert making listeners laugh. We'll take a look back at his final clip, and what fans had to say. We'll also reveal his final emotional conversation with Pen Jillette just prior to his death.

Let's take a closer look.

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The Late Comedian Was Making Jokes On Gilbert Gottfried’s Amazing Colossal Podcast Just Hours Before Being Rushed To Hospital

Sadly, Gilbert Gottfried passed away two years ago at the age of 67. He passed away due to a rare genetic disease. The cause of death was deemed ventricular tachycardia caused by myotonic dystrophy type II.

The last recording of Gottfried took place on his show, "Gilbert Gottfried’s Amazing Colossal Podcast.” During his final act, the comedian was doing an imitation of James Manson alongside his guest, Brenda Vaccaro.

The heartbreaking footage doesn't really show the late Gottfried in discomfort. Instead, he was his usual self.

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Fans on X were emotional watching his final moments back.

"Such a loss, great guy. The podcast episode with Super Dave is the best for me, Gilbert can’t stop laughing."

Another fan wrote on X, "I still remember when Gilbert did his James Mason impression in an episode of “Are You Afraid of the Dark”. The best one ever."

Gottfried's cause of death was revealed, and it seemed like the comedian was struggling with a genetic disease.

Gilbert Gottfried's Cause Of Death Was Revealed To Be A Rare Genetic Muscle Disease

Back in April of 2022, EW revealed Gottfriend's passing was due to a rare genetic muscle disease.

The publication wrote, "Comedian and actor Gilbert Gottfried's cause of death has been revealed as a rare genetic muscle disease that affects the heart, his longtime friend and publicist Glenn Schwartz confirmed. He was 67," EW wrote.

"The legendary comic died from recurrent ventricular tachycardia due to myotonic dystrophy type II, described as an inherited dystrophy that affects the muscles and other systems, which could result in an abnormal heartbeat, according to the Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center."

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Gilbert's family issued a statement that revealed the comedian's death.

"In addition to being the most iconic voice in comedy, Gilbert was a wonderful husband, brother, friend, and father to his two young children," the statement read. "Although today is a sad day for all of us, please keep laughing as loud as possible in Gilbert's honor."

Jason Alexander was among the many stars to issue a tribute to Gottfried.

He wrote on X, "Gilbert Gottfried made me laugh at times when laughter did not come easily. What a gift. I did not know him well but I loved what he shared with me. My best wishes and sympathy to his family."

Penn Jillette had the deepest experience with Gottfried, by his side during his final moments.

Penn Jillette Spoke To Gilbert Gottfried 20-Minutes Before His Death

Penn Jillette met Gottfried decades ago and the two were close friends. Penn was also able to speak with Gottfried just minutes before his death. Gottfried's wife, Dara, held the phone as the two had one last conversation. Jillette tried to keep things light, but he just couldn't help but get emotional.

“Twenty minutes before he was officially dead, when they were going to pull the ventilator off of Gilbert, I spoke with him,” Jillette told The Post. “I tried to make a few jokes. Then I fell apart and said, ‘I love you.’ That was it.”

He continues, “I have no delusion that he understood me.”

Jillette went on to reveal that even during his final days, Gottfried maintained his positive energy and great comedic ability.

Gottfried even made jokes about his own death, according to The New York Post. Frank Santopadre revealed that despite Gottfriend's struggles, he refused to discuss his health.

“I would ask how he was feeling. Gilbert would say he was fine, dodge the question and move on. He’s a guy who wanted to be funny. Gilbert would call me on the phone, I’d answer and he would launch into impressions. I loved his Herve Villechaize as Al Pacino’s character in ‘Scent of a Woman,’ which he threw himself into, headlong, milking the French accent for all it was worth.”

Clearly, Gilbert was hiding his struggles from his closest peers.

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