COMEDIAN GEORGE CARLIN DIES
One of the biggest names in comedy has died. George Carlin died yesterday at 71 years old. He had a history of heart trouble and went to the hospital complaining of chest pain and died later that night.Carlin was every bit controversial as he was hilarious. He broke new ground in comedy and language with his famous "Seven Words," the seven dirty words that you can't say on television and radio. Carlin said all seven during a show in Milwaukee in 1972 and was arrested for disturbing the peace. "The whole problem with this idea of obscenity and indecency, and all of these things - bad language and whatever - it's all caused by one basic thing, and that is: religious superstition," Carlin told the Associated Press in 2004. "There's an idea that the human body is somehow evil and bad and there are parts of it that are especially evil and bad, and we should be ashamed. Fear, guilt and shame are built into the attitude toward sex and the body. ... It's reflected in these prohibitions and these taboos that we have. Carlin produced 23 comedy albums, 14 HBO specials, three books, won four Grammy awards and performed as recently as last weekend in Las Vegas. Labels: obits |





