LOS ANGELES (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. ADVERTISEMENT 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 (9 p.m. EDT) 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. In the 1978 case, Federal Communications Commission vs. Pacifica Foundation, the top U.S. court ruled that the words cited in Carlin's routine were indecent, and that the government's broadcast regulator could ban them from being aired at times when children might be listening. Carlin's comedic sensibility often came back to a central theme: humanity is doomed. "I don't have any beliefs or allegiances. I don't believe in this country, I don't believe in religion, or a god, and I don't believe in all these man-made institutional ideas," he told Reuters in a 2001 interview. Carlin, who wrote several books and performed in many television comedy specials, is survived by his wife Sally Wade, and daughter Kelly Carlin McCall. RIP George............you were one of the best comedians of our time. <!-- / message -->
Sail On, George.... Thanks for the laughter.....A mind and wit that sharp most likely will never be seen again in the comedy world. I'm so glad I had the opportunity to see him a few times....
Just a few of his... Always do whatever's next. As a matter of principle, I never attend the first annual anything. At a formal dinner party, the person nearest death should always be seated closest to the bathroom. Atheism is a non-prophet organization. By and large, language is a tool for concealing the truth. Death is caused by swallowing small amounts of saliva over a long period of time. Don't sweat the petty things and don't pet the sweaty things. Dusting is a good example of the futility of trying to put things right. As soon as you dust, the fact of your next dusting has already been established. Electricity is really just organized lightning. Fighting for peace is like screwing for virginity. Frisbeetarianism is the belief that when you die, your soul goes up on the roof and gets stuck. Have you ever noticed that anybody driving slower than you is an idiot, and anyone going faster than you is a maniac? "I am" is reportedly the shortest sentence in the English language. Could it be that "I do" is the longest sentence? I have as much authority as the Pope, I just don't have as many people who believe it. I recently went to a new doctor and noticed he was located in something called the Professional Building. I felt better right away. I think it's the duty of the comedian to find out where the line is drawn and cross it deliberately. I think it would be interesting if old people got anti-Alzheimer's disease where they slowly began to recover other people's lost memories. I think people should be allowed to do anything they want. We haven't tried that for a while. Maybe this time it'll work. I was thinking about how people seem to read the Bible a whole lot more as they get older; then it dawned on me - they're cramming for their final exam. I went to a bookstore and asked the saleswoman, "Where's the self-help section?" She said if she told me, it would defeat the purpose. I would never want to be a member of a group whose symbol was a guy nailed to two pieces of wood. I'm always relieved when someone is delivering a eulogy and I realize I'm listening to it. I'm completely in favor of the separation of Church and State. My idea is that these two institutions screw us up enough on their own, so both of them together is certain death. I'm not concerned about all hell breaking loose, but that a PART of hell will break loose... it'll be much harder to detect. If God had intended us not to masturbate he would've made our arms shorter. If it's true that our species is alone in the universe, then I'd have to say the universe aimed rather low and settled for very little. If we could just find out who's in charge, we could kill him. If you can't beat them, arrange to have them beaten. In comic strips, the person on the right always speaks first. Inside every cynical person, there is a disappointed idealist. Just cause you got the monkey off your back doesn't mean the circus has left town. May the forces of evil become confused on the way to your house. Most people work just hard enough not to get fired and get paid just enough money not to quit. Not only do I not know what's going on, I wouldn't know what to do about it if I did. One can never know for sure what a deserted area looks like. One tequila, two tequila, three tequila, floor. People who say they don't care what people think are usually desperate to have people think they don't care what people think. Religion is just mind control. Some people see things that are and ask, Why? Some people dream of things that never were and ask, Why not? Some people have to go to work and don't have time for all that. Standing ovations have become far too commonplace. What we need are ovations where the audience members all punch and kick one another. The main reason Santa is so jolly is because he knows where all the bad girls live. The other night I ate at a real nice family restaurant. Every table had an argument going. The reason I talk to myself is that I'm the only one whose answers I accept. The status quo sucks. The very existence of flame-throwers proves that some time, somewhere, someone said to themselves, You know, I want to set those people over there on fire, but I'm just not close enough to get the job done. There are nights when the wolves are silent and only the moon howls. There's no present. There's only the immediate future and the recent past. Think off-center. Weather forecast for tonight: dark. Well, if crime fighters fight crime and fire fighters fight fire, what do freedom fighters fight? They never mention that part to us, do they? What does it mean to pre-board? Do you get on before you get on? When someone is impatient and says, "I haven't got all day," I always wonder, How can that be? How can you not have all day? When Thomas Edison worked late into the night on the electric light, he had to do it by gas lamp or candle. I'm sure it made the work seem that much more urgent. When you step on the brakes your life is in your foot's hands. When you're born you get a ticket to the freak show. When you're born in America, you get a front row seat. You know an odd feeling? Sitting on the toilet eating a chocolate candy bar.
This is truly a loss, I really enjoyed his style and will continue to watch his stuff on you tube, talking about stuff, that reminds me of the my stuff line he had, about having his stuff scattered all over the place, most of his stuff was at home and he took some of his stuff with him to visit friends then they took him someplace so he had to leave some of his stuff there and he took ........... Stuff. RIP. Tony
I woke at 3:40 am and couldn't sleep this morning...... George's last HBO taped special was on and I watched it.... Interesting.... He said "We have no Rights in this country anymore....What we have are priveleges....It ought to be called "The Bill of Temporary Priveleges"..." Pretty funny bit on the First Lady's job too.....How they "made" Betty Ford drink, so she could found the Betty Ford Center...and that Laura Bush's job was to "Help a Child Read"....because she had such great success with George......
My favorite comedian. The bastard was old, you know. More room for the rest of us. What? He would appreciate it.
