Entertainment Movies Jeff Ross Remembers 'Wonderful Pal' Gilbert Gottfried: 'Nobody Made Me Laugh So Hard' Comedian Gilbert Gottfried died at age 67 on Tuesday By Greta Bjornson Greta Bjornson Greta Bjornson is a former digital news writer at PEOPLE. She left PEOPLE in 2022. People Editorial Guidelines Published on April 13, 2022 09:00AM EDT Jeff Ross is remembering his late friend, Gilbert Gottfried. Ross, 56, posted a tribute to Gottfried, who died Tuesday at age 67 following "a long illness," according to a statement released by his family. The same day Gottfried's family announced his death, Ross shared a series of photos of himself, Gottfried and their friends on Instagram, where he wrote a statement honoring the Aladdin star. "I got to say goodbye to Gil last night. He went quietly (surprising, I know) in his sleep from a rare muscle disease that's been bugging him for awhile," Ross began. "He handled it all like a champ - performing until the end." Gilbert Gottfried Remembered by Amy Schumer, Jason Alexander and More: 'Always Friendly' "Nobody made me laugh so hard. He was a wonderful pal and a great dad to young Max and Lily," Ross continued, referring to Gottfried's two children: 14-year-old daughter Lily and 12-year-old son Max. Jeff Ross/Instagram He then mentioned Gottfried's wife, writing, "My heart goes out to Dara who took such great care of him. Although today is a sad day, please keep laughing as loud as possible so Gil and Bob and Norm can hear it. Xo" For more on Gilbert Gottfried, listen below to our daily podcast PEOPLE Every Day. Ross was seemingly referring to comedians Bob Saget, who died in January, and Norm Macdonald, who died in September 2021. Jeff Ross, Gilbert Gottfried. Jeff Ross/Instagram Gilbert Gottfried's Last Instagram Post Was in Support of Chris Rock After Will Smith's Slap Gottfried was known for his stand-up comedy, as well as his roles in Problem Child, Beverly Hills Cop II and the animated children's series Cyberchase. His friend and publicist, Glenn Schwartz, confirmed his death to PEOPLE in an official statement: "Beloved and iconic comedian Gilbert Gottfried passed away at 2:35 p.m. ET on April 12, 2022, from Recurrent Ventricular Tachycardia due to Myotonic Dystrophy type II." Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free weekly newsletter to get the biggest news of the week delivered to your inbox every Friday. Ventricular tachycardia is defined by the Mayo Clinic as "a heart rhythm problem (arrhythmia) caused by irregular electrical signals in the lower chambers of the heart," which causes a rapid heartbeat.