Gilbert Gottfried's Twitter was hacked soon after his family announced his death.
The beloved comedian and actor, who notably voiced Iago in Disney's Aladdin as well as starring in Problem Child and Beverly Hills Cop II, died at the age of 67 following a long illness, his family said in a statement.
"We are heartbroken to announce the passing of our beloved Gilbert Gottfried after a long illness," it read.
"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," the statement added.
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Gottfried's publicist and friend Glenn Schwartz said the 'iconic comedian' passed away from myotonic dystrophy type 2, a form of muscular dystrophy.
Amid thousands of tributes online, Gottfried's verified Twitter account was briefly hacked.
As Rolling Sone reports, his bio was changed to 'hacked by' and an Instagram handle. His account also shared a tweet saying the Suicideboys were a 'top five rap group', as well as directing followers to another account on Twitter.
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One Tweet posted two hours after the announcement read: "I’m dead because of [Instagram handle] on IG. F**k that mf."
During the course of the hack, Gottfried's account also retweeted pornographic images of an OnlyFans creator, who urged he wasn't responsible for the posts.
He tweeted: "Why the f**k did @RealGilbert just retweet my OF promo after he died?? Guys I did not hack Gilbert Gottfried. I am not that talented. Absolutely terrible of a situation, RIP the goat."
The posts have since been removed from Gottfried's account. While his publicist said he didn't know what happened, a Twitter representative said they were 'looking into this but so far not seeing anything that suggests a hack'.
Among the many tributes on social media, Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane, who worked with Gottfried on A Million Ways To Die In The West, wrote: "Gilbert Gottfried made me laugh so hard that day on set, I could barely do my job. A wholly original comic, and an equally kind and humble guy behind the scenes. He will be missed."
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Seinfeld star Jason Alexander tweeted: "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."
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Topics: Film and TV, Entertainment