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Gilbert Gottfried supported Chris Rock in his last Instagram post following Will Smith's Oscar slap

Gottfried posted along with a photo with Chris Rock, 'Which is the worst crime? Chris Rock being physically assaulted or Chris Rock telling a joke?'

Gilbert Gottfried dedicated his final days to his pal Chris Rock. The comedian and actor, who was well remembered for his role in Disney's 1992 classic "Aladdin," expressed his support for his pal, Rock, when he was slapped by Will Smith during the 2022 Oscars telecast in his final post before his untimely death.

The 67-year-old comic addressed the iconic slap in his final Instagram post before his death on Tuesday, April 12. On March 28, a day after the event, Gottfried posted beneath a photo of himself and his fellow comedian smiling,"Which is the worst crime? Chris Rock being physically assaulted or Chris Rock telling a joke?"

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According to his representative, Glenn Schwartz, Gilbert passed away after losing his struggle with "Recurrent Ventricular Tachycardia due to Myotonic Dystrophy type II." His family was the first to report the comedian's death.

"We are heartbroken to announce the passing of our beloved Gilbert Gottfried after a long illness," his family said in a statement posted to Gilbert's social media pages. The statement went on, "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."

Many of Gilbert's friends were swift to convey condolences after his death. Jon Stewart took to Twitter to express his thoughts, "RIP Gilbert. Opening for Gilbert Gottfried at Carolines and Princeton Catch was one of the great thrills of my early stand up life. He could leave you gasping for breath…just indescribably unusually hilarious… Damn."

Meanwhile, Judd Apatow wrote on Instagram, "Nobody was funnier than @RealGilbert on a roll." The comedian and director continued to praise the late comedian, "He could put you into convulsive hysterics. He was also the sweetest man."

Gilbert was remembered by Mark Hamill as a "hilarious and irreplaceable" man. "He was a unique voice in comedy on so many levels. Unpredictable, one-of-a-kind, hilarious & irreplaceable! Thank you for the lifetime of laughs, sir," he remarked.

Furthermore, Conan O'Brien tweeted, "I saw Gilbert perform in 1985 and when he entered to applause he said, 'Thank you, thank you very much.' He then continued to say 'thank you' repeatedly for ten full minutes." The TV host went on to say, "It was the nerviest, funniest thing I had seen. So sorry to lose this sweet and delightfully funny man."