23 June 2008

George Carlin RIP


I was saddened to hear earlier today that one of my favourite comedians George Carlin had died of heart failure, He was 71. According to the BBC report The star was admitted to a hospital in Los Angeles on Sunday with chest pains and died later that day.


The star, who had a history of heart problems 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. The same routine, which was played on a New York radio station, resulted in 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.


Carlin is survived by his second wife Sally Wade; daughter Kelly Carlin McCall; and brother Patrick.


My biggest regret was that Carlin was not well known in the UK. This was a great shame as I am sure that his humour would have gone down well here.

2 comments:

Satkuru said...

just a couple of weeks ago, my friends and i were talking about his hbo performances and how we enjoyed his comedies. may he rest in peace.

jams o donnell said...

He certainly was a comic genius.