Just a few months in 2022, the comedy world has suffered multiple tremendous losses. America's Funniest Home Videos host and veteran comedian Bob Saget passed away in January, and just weeks later, famous funnyman Louie Anderson was also gone. In April, comedy was dealt another major blow when the incomparable Gilbert Gottfried had died.
As someone who's spent decades in comedy, Howie Mandel had gotten to know all three of these performers very well. Losing one after the other so quickly has been pretty hard on Mandel, as the comedian explained in a new interview with People. For Mandel, he observed feeling a "deafening silence" that came with the losses of the comedy legends, perhaps with each of them having such unique voices and were still consistently working.
"I never dreamed there would be a moment where I could list people who are just gone. I remember being in a room with every one of those people and there was such a sense of invincibility. Now, the silence is deafening. There aren't words to describe the losses."
Still coming to terms with recently saying goodbye to Gottfried, Mandel realizes just how fragile life really can be. There's no guarantee that any of us will be seeing the next day, so Mandel's advice is to take in as much time as possible with the people you really care about. For him, that means spending more time with his grandchildren and only choosing projects that will bring him enjoyment.
"I absolutely loved Gilbert. He was the sweetest. This just compounds the feeling of fragility. This can all end tomorrow so it's so important to absorb each moment and each second with the people you love and care about."
Howie Mandel Says the Message is to Enjoy Life
Howie Mandel spoke with Gilbert Gottfried shortly before the latter's passing, and thinks he may even be the last one to speak with him. Mandel separately told Entertainment Tonight that he had actually talked with Gottfried on the phone on the way to the hospital. While Gottfried was known for his biting humor, Mandel says he was the "sweetest" person you could imagine off-stage.
"I think I was the last person to talk to him. I talked to him as he was going into the ambulance, going into the hospital the last time. I miss him. He was an amazing father, an amazing brother, an amazing husband. You don't think of him [like that] because he is very acerbic -- he was the king of too soon -- but he also defined what comedy is. Comedy, which we are losing, is that ability to find humor in the darkest moment. Nobody could do that better than Gilbert."
Mandel similarly opened up about how he was friends with Gottfried, Bob Saget, and Louie Anderson, recalling how they call came up in comedy together, making it seem more silent than ever with all three voices no longer here.
"When we moved out here in the '70s, in the comedy boom, we were all friends. I'm talking about Bob Saget, Gilbert Gottfried, Louis Anderson. We were the kids. To imagine that these guys are no longer here, and it's not that I am no longer calling them today, [it's that] I can no longer call them again. The laughter has silenced."