Late Actor Gilbert Gottfried Was a Father of 2: Get to Know His Children Lily and Max

Late actor Gilbert Gottfried led a tremendous career as a stand-up comedian and voiceover artist for more than four decades. The Saturday Night Live alum died at the age of 67 on Tuesday, April 12, 2022, his family announced in a statement. His two children, Lily Aster Gottfried and Max Aaron Gottfried, survive him. 

“We are heartbroken to announce the passing of our beloved Gilbert Gottfried after a long illness,” a statement posted to the comedian’s social media pages 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 honor. Love, the Gottfried family.”

The New York native died from recurrent ventricular tachycardia due to myotonic dystrophy type II, according to his longtime friend and publicist, Glenn Schwartz.

In a statement from his rep, Gilbert’s friend and podcast cohost Frank Santopadre said, “Gilbert’s brand of humor was brash, shocking and frequently offensive, but the man behind the jokes was anything but. Those who loved and him were fortunate enough to share his orbit knew a person who was sweet, sensitive, surprisingly shy and filled with a childlike sense of playfulness and wonder. He’ll be dearly missed by family, friends, fans and comedy lovers the world over. To quote Gilbert himself, ‘Too soon!'”

Who Are Gilbert Gottfried’s Kids?

Much of his life was dedicated to making people laugh, including his two children and his wife, Dara Kravitz. The couple got married in 2007 and became parents that same year when they welcomed their daughter, Lily. The pair welcomed their second child together, son Max, in 2009.

Who Is Gilbert’s Daughter Lily?

Fans of the longtime comedian may remember that the Gottfried family appeared on an episode of Celebrity Wife Swap in 2013. Before swapping homes with late actor Alan Thicke and his wife, Tanya Callau, the pair spoke about how they met at a Grammys party in 1997 and started a family together. During the episode, Lily proudly shared, “My dad is a bird in Aladdin,” referencing Gilbert’s iconic role as Iago in the 1992 animated Disney film.

Gilbert’s children were a huge inspiration to him, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Beverly Hills Cop II actor joined TBS’ Tournament of Laughs with a little help from Lily and Max in a few hilarious skits. Lily even showed her father how to use TikTok.

“My daughter, she’s on TikTok. So, she got me on TikTok, I have no idea what it is,” he said. “I’m like talking to somebody’s grandmother about TikTok. And she’ll say, ‘I want you to do this little dance step,’ which, of course, I can never do. So, I was already making stuff with her, and [the video] was like the next step.”

Who Is Gilbert’s Son Max?

The couple shared the meaning behind Max’s name during an interview with Celebritybabies.com shortly after his arrival.

“Max is named after Gilbert’s father Max and my grandmother Mildred,” Dara said at the time. “Our son was also born on his grandfather Max’s birthday! His middle name is after my grandfather Aaron.”

Max is also good friends with the son of another popular star, Penn Jilette. The proud dad of two shared a photo of his little one hanging out with the magician’s son, Zolten, in July 2019.