Free Speech Loses a Hero: Comedian George Carlin Dies at 71
by admin ~ June 23rd, 2008. Filed under: Celebrity Closeup.
George Carlin, the comedian who put free speech to the test in his comedy routine entitled: “Seven Words You Can Never Say On Television” died on Sunday in Santa Monica, California.
He had a history of heart trouble and went to the St. John’s Health Center on Sunday afternoon due to chest pain and died later that evening.
His last performance was at the Orleans Casino and Hotel in Las Vegas the previous weekend. George Carlin was 71 years old.
It was his use of those “seven words” which led to a key Supreme Court ruling on obscenity in 1978 that still stands today. Carlin had a tremendous amount of artistic credits including; 3 books, 14 HBO specials and 23 comedy albums.
“He was a genius and I will miss him dearly,” Jack Burns, who was the other half of a comedy duo with Carlin in the early 1960s, told The Associated Press.
