Gilbert Gottfried, a stand-up comedian, known for his screwy voice and tendency for pushing limits with jokes about the Sept. 11 attacks and the Japanese tsunami, died on Tuesday at the age of 67, his family said.

Gottfried, a longtime cast member of NBC's "Saturday Night Live" and the voice of a sarcastic parrot in the animated Disney blockbuster "Aladdin," died after a lengthy and undisclosed illness, according to a family statement.

"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."

Gottfried, born in Brooklyn and rose to prominence in the New York City stand-up scene, was known for his edgy humor that made some people squirm.

Two weeks after the 2001 attacks on New York and Washington, Gottfried joked about it during a roast of Playboy founder Hugh Hefner, claiming he couldn't arrange a direct flight from New York to California.

"They said they have to stop at the Empire State Building first," Gottfried said, eliciting laughter and cries of "too soon."

Later, in a television appearance, Gottfried stated, "That's the way my mind works. I wanted to basically address the elephant in the room." I wanted to address what I referred to as the "elephant in the room."

That brand of comedy also cost him a lucrative gig as the Aflac duck in television commercials for the insurer, which cut relations with Gottfried following a series of tweets about the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan, which killed 18,000 people.

"I love to go where it's a dark area. You never know what people will choose to be offended by," Gottfried told The New York Times in 2013.

Other comics paid tribute to him.

Seth MacFarlane, creator of "Family Guy" and director of the comedy film "A Million Ways to Die in the West," said Gottfried's absurd parody of Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg address had him laugh so hard on set that he "could barely do my job."

"A wholly original comic, and an equally kind and humble guy behind the scenes," MacFarlane wrote. "He will be missed."

"Gilbert Gottfried made me laugh at times when laughter did not come easily. What a gift." Jason Alexander, who portrayed George on the television comedy "Seinfeld," wrote Twitter. What a blessing."

One of Gottfried's most notable cinematic performances was as Iago, the wicked Jafar's loud-mouthed, sarcastic talking parrot in Disney's 1992 animated blockbuster "Aladdin."

He also achieved what would generally be considered the zenith of American comic actors when he was named to the cast of "Saturday Night Live" in 1980. Still, the new cast was met with hostility, having replaced trendy cast members such as John Belushi, Gilda Radner, and Bill Murray.

Gottfried stated last year that he was unable to enjoy the event, telling Joe Rogan that he felt like a "sacrificial lamb."

"You don't want to be the replacement," Gottfried stated. "You want to be the replacement of the replacement."