Gilbert Gottfried, who was only 67 years old when he died on Tuesday, surprised fans with his abrupt passing.
His family described him as “comedy’s most legendary voice” in a statement released Tuesday afternoon, saying merely, “We are heartbroken,” and revealing only that he died after a “long illness.”
Glenn Schwartz, Gottfried’s publicist, has now revealed that the actor died of recurrent ventricular tachycardia, an arrhythmia caused by myotonic dystrophy Type 2.
Myotonic dystrophy (DM) is a hereditary illness characterized by gradual muscle wasting and weakness. It mostly affects the limbs and face, although it can also cause respiratory, skeletal, and cardiac issues.
People with diabetes are more likely to have irregular heartbeats, such as ventricular tachycardia, an arrhythmia that causes the heart to beat faster in the lower chambers of the heart (ventricles).
A sped-up rhythm that lasts for a long time can result in a dangerous drop in blood pressure. Gottfried’s cardiac ailment had been known to the public for a long time.
He postponed a series of live engagements in Montana on the eve of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, apparently because his physicians warned him not to fly during a viral epidemic owing to his compromised heart.
