Comedian Gilbert Gottfried, who passed away yesterday at the age of 67, was a man known for many great things.
To name a few, he was the voice behind the vitriolic parrot Iago in Disney's 1992 animated film Aladdin and the adoption agent Igor Peabody in the 90s dark comedy Problem Child. He had one of the most recognisable voices in the industry, which inevitably landed him numerous roles in cartoons and movies.
Within the metal community though, he was arguably best known as the man behind the mask of Slipknot's Tortilla Man. At least, he was for a moment or two.
In 2019, Gottfried was commissioned by Loudwire to pretend to be Slipknot's new percussionist, Tortilla Man, on Cameo. Although we know now that the bread-faced beatmaker is, in fact, Michael Pfaff, back then, there was endless rumours and conjecture over who the mysterious new member of The Nine could be, as his identity had not yet been revealed. (Pfaff had replaced Chris Fehn who left Slipknot that same year.)
For those unfamiliar with the platform, Cameo allows you to pay celebrities and your favourite musicians to send a video message to your friends and loved ones. You can even get them to do your dirty work for you, such as break up with a toxic partner, or simply, to create a gloriously meme-able moment such as this one.
Within the clip, Gottfried reads from what we assume is a pre-provided script, and says – in his famously shrill voice – "Hi, this is Gilbert Gottfried for the maggots, and it's being sent by Loudwire. Ah well, I just like to finally tell you I am Tortilla Man from the band Slipknot...
"And don't not listen to me you bunch of maggots, and speaking of Mexican food, why is love like a fart? If you have to force it it's probably crap.
"Anyway, here's to the rest of you you heavy metal lovers, let me say if you're 555 then I'm 666..."
Then, to the delight of Slipknot fans everywhere, the comedian makes reference to a famous meme within the fandom, and says, "...and I'm just wondering, what does Corey Taylor think?"
The news of Gottfried's death was announced via his Twitter account.
“We are heartbroken to announce the passing of our beloved Gilbert Gottfried after a long illness. 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.”
Watch the iconic video below:
