Comedian George Carlin dies at 71 | Reuters
Comedian George Carlin, a counter-culture hero famed for his routines about drugs and dirty words, died of heart failure at a Los Angeles-area hospital on Sunday, a spokesman said. He was 71.
Carlin, who had a history of heart and drug-dependency problems, died at Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica about 6 p.m. PDT (2 a.m. British time) after being admitted earlier in the afternoon for chest pains, spokesman Jeff Abraham told Reuters.
Known for his edgy, provocative material, Carlin achieved status as an anti-Establishment icon in the 1970s with stand-up bits full of drug references and a routine called “Seven Words You Can Never Say On Television.” A regulatory battle over a radio broadcast of the routine ultimately reached the U.S. Supreme Court.
So sad
R.I.P. George
He was the best.
A sad day for comedy
A sad day for al of humanity. He truly WAS the best.
“In Heaven, the French do the cooking, the Germans are the mechanics, the Swiss run the hotels, the Italians are the lovers and the English are the police. In Hell, the English do the cooking, the Italians are the mechanics, the French run the hotels, the Swiss are the lovers and the Germans are the police.” I just had to post that.
The only peeps that won’t miss George Carlin are the ones that never got him, or were offended by him. I don’t associate with either.
He was a unique guy with interesting ideas. I read one of his books at the strong urging of a friend and was interesting enough that I read the whole book in 1 evening.
I saw one of his shows, it was quite funny.
He was an intelligent person and was not shy in what he had to say 🙂
RIP
SALUTE:
George Carlin was one of the few willing to say those things that needed to be said out loud. He was to my generation the comic who brought civil disobedience to the main stream. As testement to his approach and message he was one of Johnny Carson’s most regular comedic guests in an era when Johnny didn’t have counter-culture guests yet.
He picked up where Lenny Bruce fell short and took comedy to a level that made us stop and think about the silly sh*t we do and think.
My socio-political attitudes were deeply effected by this man’s work through out the late sixties and the seventies.
I mourn.
I loved that man. He spoke the truth.
Shit, Piss, Fu……………
Thank you, SparkyOne — someone had to mention “the words”…
Fortunate enough to see him live in Vegas, front center table. He gave me some grief and I’ll never forget it. “Hey! What’s with the tie and coat? Are you Texas law enforcement?”
FSM bless you, George Carlin, you were one of the very best.
Part of my soul has died, rest in peace George.
P.S. I could never open a refrigerator without thinking about you.
I will miss George’s humor very much! His “Class
Clown” album was a big deal when I was in High School! Very funny!
Farewell my friend …
His last HBO special LIFE IS WORTH LOSING was one of his best performances of his career. It really showed how he grieved his loss of his wife. Instead of divulging back into alcohol he really invested into his comedy. Truly an artist. His records and dvd’s should sit next to the greatest philosophers of any era.
George Carlin will be missed. He could be funny as hell (not one of those words) and still make you think.
At least he didn’t “go to a better place”….
Bye, George. You will be missed.
The very best.
Joe bless you, George. Joe bless you.
This was another guy that didn’t believe in imaginary friends.
R.I.P.
Truly sad. He sure was one of the very best.
kind of pitiful that we have to end the obit for George with yet more Christian-bashing. but hey, this is dvorak dot org slash blog. i wouldn’t have expected any better. always a cheap shot, even in an instance like this. kind of pathetic.
#27–Mustard, quite right so I will stop it from happening with your entry.
Good ol’ George, the Hippy Dippy Weatherman. Became known for 3 main areas of social commentary. All 3 mentioned above.
Choose your own quibble. George would have noticed.
I am too young to remember any of his earlier comedy, but I remember Ringo and him on Shining Time Station. He played an important part in my childhood when my parents had just gotten divorced.