Unfortunately, the time has come to say goodbye to one of the most popular standup comedians, George Calrlin. At 71-years-old, this controversial counterculture icon died on Sunday of heart failure in Los Angeles, CA.

George Carlin has been raising eyebrows and causing controversy for more than 4 decades and had a career not even the best entertainers could have wished for. Named the second best comedian ever in 2004 by Comedy Central, just behind Richard Pryor, George gained his popularity from “The Ed Sullivan Show” in the 60’s. His cynical satire routines showcased his annoyance with “mankind’s greed, stupidity and inconsideration,” stated the Daily News.

In 1972 George became a household name from the controversy caused by his routine, “Seven Words You Can Never Say On Television.” He was arrested in Milwuakee for performing this and within 6 years it had moved all the way up to the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled for the governments authority to monitor any offensive language that could be heard when children are watching TV.

George gained a lot of popularity for his outspoken jabs at government censoring and became a counterculture hero. He was the very first host of Saturday Night Live and has had several big hit comedy shows for HBO that continued up until this year. He was a very cynical, witty man that deserved every bit of success he achieved.

R.I.P. George Carlin (May 12, 1937-June 22, 2008)