Broadway's 'Aladdin' pays tribute to Gilbert Gottfried

As fellow entertainers paid tribute online to comedy great Gilbert Gottfried, who died Tuesday at age 67, the Broadway musical "Aladdin" dedicated that night's performance to the star who had voiced its character Iago in the original 1992 animated feature.

"Tonight, we'd like to take a moment to celebrate the life of a comedy legend, a funnyman with an indelible voice, the man who breathed life into Iago for the animated film, Mr. Gilbert Gottfried," said Don Darryl Rivera, the actor who originated and continues to play the role in the long-running show at the New Amsterdam Theatre, where he spoke onstage before the assembled company.

"I, along with five other actors worldwide" in global productions of the musical "have the distinct privilege to bring Iago to life onstage,” Rivera, 37, went on in a 1½-minute video on the Disney on Broadway YouTube channel. "But I think one of the main reasons this character is who he is because of what Gilbert brought to the animated film: his comedy and that voice — that voice that The New York Times once said sounded like a busted Cuisinart," he said to appreciative chuckles.

"The first time I met Gilbert was on this very stage. The curtain had just come down and out comes Gilbert from the wings and he put his arm around me and we snapped a few photos. But then, I pulled out this," Rivera said, holding up a videocassette. "The 'Aladdin' VHS. And his eyes lit up like it was the magic lamp itself. He signed it for me and it's still one of my most treasured possessions." On his Instagram Stories, where posts cycle out after 24 hours, Rivera placed photos of the cassette box front and back, bearing signatures from various people connected to the film.

Calling Gottfried "really kind and sweet and surprisingly soft-spoken," he concluded, "On behalf of the entire company here at 'Aladdin': Mr. Gottfried, thanks for the laughs."

Among the multitude of entertainment-industry professionals eulogizing the Brooklyn-born Gottfried were Rockville Centre-raised Amy Schumer, who wrote on Instagram Stories, "Gilbert was so sweet. Genuinely kind and a legend." Billy Crystal, raised in Long Beach, tweeted, "What a terrible loss. A wonderfully funny and gentle man. One of the first comics I met when I started out. Always a joy to be with. We all will miss you." Amityville-born and Massapequa-raised Alec Baldwin posted on Instagram, "Rest In Peace … ."

"Nobody was funnier than @RealGilbert on a roll," tweeted Syosset-raised Judd Apatow. "He could put you into convulsive hysterics. He was also the sweetest man. His podcast is a comedy treasure. What a terrible loss."