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                <p>NEW YORK (Reuters)- Comedian Gilbert Gottfried apologized on Tuesday for a series of jokes made on Twitter about the Japanese earthquake and tsunami, comments which got him fired as the voice of insurer Aflac.</p>
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"I sincerely apologize to anyone who was offended by my attempt at humor regarding the tragedy in Japan. I meant no disrespect, and my thoughts are with the victims and their families," Gottfried said in a statement.</p>
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Since 2000, the comedian had been the voice of the quacking duck in Aflac's commercials, shouting "Af-LAC!" at opportune moments.</p>
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But the company was quick to dismiss him after a dozen jokes made on his Twitter account last weekend, many of them crude and sexual riffs on the effects of the disaster.</p>
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Aflac made its name selling cancer expense policies in Japan in the 1970s and still derives about three-quarters of its revenue there.</p>
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(Reporting by Ben Berkowitz, editing by Dave Zimmerman)</p>
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