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Comedian George Carlin Dead at 71

Jun 23, 2008  •  Post A Comment

Comedian George Carlin, whose famous “Seven Dirty Words” routine forced a Supreme Court decision on television obscenity, died today in Santa Monica, Calif., at age 71, Reuters reported.
Mr. Carlin complained of chest pains and was admitted to a Santa Monica hospital. He later died of heart failure, according to Mr. Carlin’s publicist.
The first host of “Saturday Night Live” in 1975, Mr. Carlin had a career that extended
from the late 1950s until his death. The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts announced last week that Mr. Carlin was the 2008 winner of the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, to be received in November.
Mr. Carlin’s television career included several HBO comedy specials; his own sitcom, “The George Carlin Show” on Fox in 1994 and a turn as Mr. Conductor on PBS’ “Shining Time Station.”
HBO will replay several of Mr. Carlin’s standup specials during the week. HBO will air Mr. Carlin’s most recent special, “George Carlin: It’s Bad for Ya,” on Friday, June 27 at 9:00 p.m.
HBO2 will air 11 of Mr. Carlin’s specials on Wednesday and Thursday night, starting at 8 p.m. Wednesday with 1977’s “George Carlin at USC.”
Below is Carlin’s “Seven Dirty Words” bit.
Warning: Video contains graphic content.

(Editor: Jensen)
Updated at June 23 at 2:34 p.m. with video and HBO specials.

4 Comments

  1. Certainly one of the all-time greats. He was funny, smart and dead on with his observations. He was not afraid to stand up against what is wrong in this world and fight for what is right. His performances were fantastic live in concert, on television and on his albums! He will be missed!

  2. An appropriate remembrance from Mr. Carlin:
    “The most unfair thing about life is the way it ends. I mean, life is tough. It takes up a lot of your time. What do you get at the end of it? A Death! What’s that, a bonus? I think the life cycle is all backwards. You should die first, get it out of the way. Then you live in an old age home.. You get kicked out when you’re too young, you get a gold watch, you go to work. You work forty years until you’re young enough to enjoy your retirement. You do drugs, alcohol, you party, you get ready for high school. You go to grade school, you become a kid, you play, you have no responsibilities, you become a little baby, you go back into the womb, you spend your last nine months floating…
    ….and you finish off as an orgasm.”

  3. Great quote, Ed. Apropos, profound, sad. Thanks for the laughs, George!

  4. Occupation Foole [now officially retired]
    Well, at least George can now find out for certain if God is “so all-powerful that He can make a rock that He Himself can’t pick up” [from ‘Class Clown,’ one of Carlin’s best albums] 😀
    George Carlin lives on in his great comedy albums and bookos … and, therefore, in our memories.
    =

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