George Carlin dead at 71

The comedy world lost one its giants today when George Carlin died at the age of 71.  Heart failure is the apparent cause of death.  Carlin often said he wanted to live as long as possible so he could see just how badly human beings screw themselves.  Well, he may have left us, but his acerbic wit and sharp-minded defenses of free speech will live on for a long, long time.  He will be missed.

Carlin, a military veteran and native of New York City, produced 23 comedy records during his career as well as several television specials.  He was famously arrested in 1972 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, for indecency after performing his act "Seven Dirty Words You Can't Say on Television".