Post by Rhonda on Jun 23, 2008 4:07:39 GMT -5
JUNE 22 2008
Comedian George Carlin dies at 71
Anti-Establishment icon gained fame with his ‘Seven Dirty Words’ routine
Known for his edgy, provocative material, George 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.”
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Robert Sebree / AP file
Updated 1 hour, 14 minutes ago
SANTA MONICA, Calif. - A publicist for George Carlin says the legendary comedian has died of heart failure at a hospital in Santa Monica, Calif.
Jeff Abraham says Carlin went into St. John’s Hospital on Sunday afternoon, complaining of chest pain. Carlin died at 5:55 p.m. PDT.
He was 71.
The dean of counterculture comedians, Carlin constantly pushed the envelop with his jokes, particularly with a routine called “The Seven Words You Can Never Say On TV.”
When Carlin uttered all seven at a show in Milwaukee in 1972, he was arrested for disturbing the peace.
And when they were played on a New York radio station, they resulted in a Supreme Court ruling in 1978 upholding the government’s authority to sanction stations for broadcasting offensive language.