George Carlin Passes Away at 71
Posted on June 23, 2008
Filed Under Off the beaten path, Boomers, Gen X, Gen Y
Sad news this morning as word comes that we lost one the comic greats this weekend. George Carlin has passed away at 71 from a long battle with heart disease. Carlin’s career spanned over 5 decades and the comic re-invented himself again and again. I first heard Carlin via his famous “Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television,” and always appreciated is clever irreverent style. Over the years Carlin’s routines became the stuff of comic legend.
A mainstay on the Tonight Show, Carlin was also the host of the very first “Saturday Night Live” telecast in 1975. During the course of his career he produced 23 comedy albums, 14 HBO specials, three books, several TV shows and appeared in numerous movies.
He won four Grammy Awards, each for best spoken comedy album, and was nominated for five Emmy awards. On Tuesday, it was announced that Carlin was being awarded the 11th annual Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, which will be presented Nov. 10 in Washington and broadcast on PBS.
Love him or hate him, his comic genius is undeniable. Rest in peace George, we will miss you!
Until next time…
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