G ilbert Gottfried, the comic with a grating persona, has died. His family announced Gottfried’s passing “after a long illness” on April 12, 2022, on Twitter. He was 67. Various outlets reported he suffered from a heart condition related to myotonic dystrophy. A 2017 documentary revealed that contra his foul- mouthed routine, Gottfried was a sweet and loving Jewish dad. Gottfried was reluctant to let that truth get out. “I was too much of a wimp to say no” to the filmmaker, Neil Berkeley, he said. Gottfried, who affected a high nasal voice for his comic appearances, was a boundary crosser, and it got him into trouble at times. In 1991, Fox apologized after Gilbert, host- ing the Emmy awards, kept joking about fellow comic Pee- wee Herman’s recent arrest for masturbating in an adult movie theater. That dampened Gottfried’s career — for a while. He con- tinued to score gigs in movies, on talk radio (frequently with Howard Stern), on sketch shows and sitcoms, and as a voice on cartoons. He was the funny animal sidekick, Iago the parrot, in Disney’s Aladdin. Then he famously told per- haps the first joke about the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, just a few days after terrorists piloted airplanes into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. “I’ve always said tragedy and comedy are roommates, ” Gottfried told Vulture in 2019. “Wherever tragedy’s around, comedy’s a few feet behind them sticking his tongue out and making obscene gestures. ” Aflac, the insurer whose trademark duck Gottfried voiced and which was his most lucrative gig, dropped him in 2011 after he made jokes on Twitter about the tsunami in Japan. “I don’t regret the joke, ” he told JTA. “I regret losing the money. ” Gottfried credited his wife for turning him around from a notoriously parsimonious bachelor into an attentive dad who walked his two kids to Hebrew school. He met Dara Kravitz, a music executive, in the late 1990s at a Grammys party he was attending because of the free food. She dropped food on the table, and he picked it up and put it on his plate. Gottfried grew up in secular Jewish home in Brooklyn — he told JTA his Jewish knowl- edge was limited to “I know that if we’re ever rounded up again, I’ll be on the train. ” When he and Dara married in 2007, she insisted on a wedding under a chuppah and raising their children with a Jewish education. His family, in their message, appealed to the public to keep Gottfried’s love for humor in mind. “ Although today is a sad day for all of us, please keep laughing as loud as possible in Gilbert’s honor, ” the message said. Gilbert Gottfried Dies at 67 RON KAMPEAS JTA.ORG APRIL 21 • 2022 | 69 Shatzman; great-grandchildren, Emerson, Lulu; loving caregivers, Latrice and Gloria; other relatives and friends. In memory of her dog, the late Chichi. Iris was the beloved wife of the late Leo Rosen; cherished daugh- ter of the late Kay and the late Louis Topor; dear sister of the late Susan Topor. Contributions may be made to JARC, 6735 Telegraph Road, Suite 100, Bloomfield Hills, MI 48301; or to a charity of one’s choice. A funeral service was held at Hebrew Memorial Park. Interment took place at Hebrew Memorial Park. Arrangements by Hebrew Memorial Chapel. CARL STEGER, 96, formerly of Detroit of Sarasota, Fla., passed away March 31, 2022. He was a longtime entertainment fixture in the Detroit area for decades, and one of his biggest fans was the late Danny Raskin. Danny wrote of Carl many times in his “Best of Everything” columns. Once, he observed, “Carl Steger thrives on the 88 ivories and it seems to put renewed vigor in him as time goes by. ” Mr. Steger was best noted for his style of interweaving familiar names and places in his songs. He is survived by his beloved wife, Carol; children, Dawn (Ron) Davey, Todd Steger, Scott (Jorge Bardowell) Steger, Kim (Wayne) Sherrill, Tim (Mimi) Steger and Ann (Tom) Goshorn; 11 grand- children; five great-grandchildren. HAROLD SUCHER, formerly of Detroit, passed away peace- fully on April 11, 2022, at the age of 96. He was born on Feb. 22, 1926, in Detroit to Feige and Benjamin Sucher. Harold served in the U.S. Army from 1944-46 and participated in the occupation of Japan. He and his wife, Janet, the mother of his chil- dren married on July 11, 1945. Harold built a successful gas station and trailer rental business in Detroit, beginning in 1947, moved the family to Farmington in 1956 and retired in 1988 at age 62; he then enjoyed 34 years of adventurous retirement. Harold was an avid world traveler, having visited all seven continents. He enjoyed mountain climbing and hiking, including climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro at age 60. He loved music, particularly Frank Sinatra and the song “My Way, ” which describes how he led his life. He was an avid jog- ger (well into his 80s) and loved horseback riding. During his many trips to Las Vegas, the high- light was attending a New Year’s Eve Barbra Streisand concert (her return to the stage after 22 years, in 1994). Mr. Sucher is survived by his three children, Michel (Susanne) Sucher, Barbara (Yitzhak) Ben-Zvi and Benjamin (Eugenia) Sucher. He is also survived by his three grandchildren, Erin (Danny) Merritt, Britton (Jesse Newmark) Schwartz and Sara Lewin; four great-grandchildren, Jalen, Sonora, Reina and Olivia; and his loving and devoted companion and friend, Adelle Abrahams. He was predeceased by his parents; his sister, Edith; wife, Janet; and his second wife, Phyllis; numerous uncles, aunts and first cousins. Harold was the oldest ever living Sucher and he truly had “nine lives, ” cheating death in a plane crash, in a car crash, from prostate cancer and multiple other close calls. The family wishes to give a special thanks to Valentine Gradinariu and the staff at Simply Together, who provided such lov- ing care to their father during the last two years of his life. Thanks also extend to American Premier Hospice, Dr. Jorge Chavez and his professional staff for the comfort and compassion they provided. Gilbert Gottfried at SiriusXM Studios in New York City, Feb. 3, 2020. SLAVEN VLASIC/GETTY IMAGES FOR SIRIUSXM