George Carlin Collision of Comedy and Politics Dies

He gained notoriety for his 'seven dirty words,' but his incisive commentaries were as clever as they were vulgar. By Rich Connell and Jason Song, Los Angeles Times Staff Writers June 23, 2008 George Carlin, the acerbic, Grammy-winning comedian whose career spanned more than 50 years, died of heart failure Sunday evening after being admitted to the hospital complaining of chest pains, his spokesman said. He was 71.

Carlin, who had a history of heart problems, died at St. John's Health Center in Santa Monica shortly before 6 p.m., said his publicist Jeff Abraham.

The comedian, who toured college campuses for years and made a name for himself using dirty language and delivering biting social commentaries, had released 22 solo albums and three bestselling books.

He finished a show at the Orleans casino in Las Vegas last week and was planning to take the month off to relax and work on a new book of essays and musings, Abraham said.

Carlin normally took summers off and was scheduled to tour again beginning with a July 20 performance at Humphrey's Concerts by the Bay in San Diego. He had dates lined up through December, Abraham said.

“He was looking forward to it."

Carlin went to the hospital Sunday afternoon because “his heart just didn't feel right," the publicist said.

Carlin starred in a variety of TV and movie roles and gained fame for a routine about the seven dirty words that could not be uttered on television.

“There are three ingredients in my comedy," he said in a 1991 interview with the Los Angeles Times. “Those three things which wax and wane in importance are English language and wordplay; secondly, mundane, everyday observational comedy -- dogs, cats and all that stuff; and thirdly, sociopolitical attitude comedy."

He earned several gold comedy albums and five Emmy nominations.