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.
Carlin was arrested in 1972 in Milwaukee for using indecent language. In a separate case in 1973, a radio listener complained after a station played part of his album. That case went the Supreme Court, which in 1978 ruled in favor of the FCC, saying the radio station could not broadcast those words at times when children could be listening.
Of the Surpeme Court ruling, Carlin said, "So my name is a footnote in American history, which I'm perversely kind of proud of."
Carlin first appeared on radio in 1956 at age 19, while serving in the Air Force.
In 1960, he and Jack Burns began appearing together in nightclubs as "Burns and Carlin." The duo made an appearance on The Tonight Show with Jack Paar before splitting up in 1962.
