ewerk 26738 Posted June 23, 2008 Share Posted June 23, 2008 US comedian George Carlin dies Grammy-award winning comedian George Carlin, best known for his Seven Words You Can Never Say On TV routine, has died of heart failure aged 71. The star was admitted to a hospital in Los Angeles on Sunday with chest pains and died later that day. Jack Burns, Carlin's comedy partner in the early 1960s, told the Associated Press agency: "He was a genius and I will miss him dearly." Carlin performed as recently as last weekend in Las Vegas. Anti-Establishment icon The star, who had a history of heart problems, was scheduled to receive the John F Kennedy Center's prestigious Mark Twain Prize for American Humour in November. Carlin became known for his unpredictable performances and for pushing boundaries during his 50-year career. He achieved status as an anti-Establishment icon in the 1970s with his provocative and controversial acts. His Seven Words routine led to his arrest in 1972 for disturbing the peace after he performed the act at a show in Milwaukee. Carlin became known for his edgy and provocative performances The same routine, which was played on a New York radio station, resulted to a Supreme Court ruling in 1978 upholding the government's authority to sanction stations for broadcasting offensive language. Carlin produced 23 comedy albums, 14 HBO specials, three books, a couple of TV shows and appeared in several movies. He also hosted the first broadcast of Saturday Night Live, won four Grammy Awards - each for best spoken comedy album - and was nominated for five Emmys. Drug addiction plagued him for much of his life, beginning with marijuana experimentation as a teenager. During the 1970s he began using cocaine, prescription painkillers and wine. He racked up debt during that time and ended up owing about $3m in back taxes. In 2004, he entered a Los Angeles rehab clinic for his alcohol and Vicodin abuse. Carlin is survived by his second wife Sally Wade; daughter Kelly Carlin McCall; and brother Patrick. His first wife, Brenda, died of cancer in 1997. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sweetleftpeg 0 Posted June 23, 2008 Share Posted June 23, 2008 'Gentlemen... we're history.' RIP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimbo 133 Posted June 23, 2008 Share Posted June 23, 2008 Fuck, I'm gutted, the man was a total legend. RIP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom 13897 Posted June 23, 2008 Share Posted June 23, 2008 RIP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Kelly 1117 Posted June 23, 2008 Share Posted June 23, 2008 RIP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Carr's Gloves 3243 Posted June 23, 2008 Share Posted June 23, 2008 Absolute comedy legend RIP George. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jusoda Kid 1 Posted June 23, 2008 Share Posted June 23, 2008 (edited) Had never heard of him but them clips are quality RIP funny man Edited June 23, 2008 by Wacky Jnr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Besty 4 Posted June 23, 2008 Share Posted June 23, 2008 RIP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NJS 3989 Posted June 23, 2008 Share Posted June 23, 2008 (edited) RIP Might use it as an excuse to watch Dogma - I didn't realise at the time how ironic casting him as a cardinal was given his views on religion. As well as the one Jimbo posted I'd recommend his piece on the ten commandments. Edit- in fact: Ten Commandments Edited June 23, 2008 by NJS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manc-mag 1 Posted June 23, 2008 Share Posted June 23, 2008 RIP Rufus. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meenzer 14132 Posted June 27, 2008 Share Posted June 27, 2008 Anyone got any recommendations for his "albums" à la Hicks? I know they rarely capture an artist at his best, but I could use something for my mp3 player and there's tons of stuff out there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ketsbaia 0 Posted June 27, 2008 Share Posted June 27, 2008 Back In Town and What Am I Doing in New Jersey? seem to be the two most fondly talked of. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimbo 133 Posted June 27, 2008 Share Posted June 27, 2008 Anyone got any recommendations for his "albums" à la Hicks? I know they rarely capture an artist at his best, but I could use something for my mp3 player and there's tons of stuff out there. Complaints And Grievances You Are All Diseased Back in Town Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meenzer 14132 Posted June 27, 2008 Share Posted June 27, 2008 Cheers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sniffer 0 Posted June 27, 2008 Share Posted June 27, 2008 HBO are running his shows. I watched him for about 15 minutes the other night thinking there had to be something I was missing but there wasn't. He's shite. No loss to comedy at all IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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