Legendary comedian George Carlin, 71,
passed away Sunday evening from heart failure. His publicist, Jeff Abraham, said he went to St. John's Health Center in Santa Monica that afternoon after experiencing chest pain. He had performed only the weekend before at Las Vegas' Orleans Casino and Hotel.
"He was a genius and I will miss him dearly," Carlin's 1960s comedian partner, Jack Burns, told The Associated Press.
Carlin was well-known for his risque humor, particularly the routine "Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television." He said all those words at a 1972 Milwaukee show, leading to his arrest on charges of disturbing the peace. A Wisconsin judge later dismissed the case due to free speech, although he did say the routine was indecent.
Later the seven words were played on a New York radio station, leading to a 1978 Supreme Court ruling that said the government had the right to sanction media for obscenity during hours when children might be listening. All of the words Carlin uttered are now taboo on broadcast television and radio.
"So my name is a footnote in American legal history, which I'm perversely kind of proud of," Carlin told The Associated Press earlier this year.
Carlin hosted the debut of NBC's 'Saturday Night Live' in 1975, and he also produced 23 comedy albums, four of which won Grammy Awards for best spoken comedy album. He had 13 HBO specials, several TV shows, a couple of film appearances and three books to his name, as well.
He was nominated for five Emmy Awards, and last Tuesday he was proclaimed a recipient of the 11th annual Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. The award will be presented in Washington Nov. 10, and it will be broadcast on PBS.
Carlin is survived by his second wife, Sally Wade; his daughter, a son-in-law, his brother and sister-in-law. His first wife, Brenda, passed away in 1997.
