One of the funniest men on the planet has passed away. Actor/stand up comedian George Carlin, whose controversial career spanned five decades, died of heart failure yesterday. He was 71 years old.

The iconic standup comic, whose routine about the seven words “you can’t say on television” was heard from college campuses to the Supreme Court, died today of heart failure at a Santa Monica, Calif., hospital, his publicist announced. He was 71.

Carlin, who suffered his first heart attack at age 41, was admitted to St. John’s Hospital earlier today after complaining of heart trouble, the statement said. He died at 5:55 p.m.

Much more than a “footnote in legal history,” as Carlin often referred to himself for his role in the seven “filthy” words case, the comic was the first-ever host of Saturday Night Live, a four-time Grammy winner, and a touchstone for generations of writers and performers.

Carlin was due to receive the 11th Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in November. The honor was announced just last week, around the time of his final performances, at the Orleans in Las Vegas. According to his Website, he had dozens of shows booked through the end of the year.

If there was one thing Carlin wasn’t, it was the retiring type.

“Yes, I’ve accomplished all the things I’ve wanted to and way more, I couldn’t have really predicted some of the paths,” Carlin told Salon in February. “But I know that there’s a restlessness, you know, artists are never finished.”

Born May 12, 1937, in New York, Carlin celebrated his 50th year in show business last year.

[From E! Online]

How many other performers out there are still writing and performing high-quality, relevant material after 50 years in the business? On a personal level, I have idolized George Carlin my entire life- ever since I snuck my dad’s copy of the album “Occupation: Foole” down to the basement when I was about 8 years old.

It was a cut off another album, Occupation Foole, however, that gave Carlin his most noteworthy achievement.

A listener hearing New York’s WBAI-FM play Carlin’s “Filthy Words” routine on Oct. 30, 1973, in its unaltered entirety lodged a complaint with the Federal Communications Commission. The FCC, in turn, threatened to pull WBAI’s license. WBAI appealed the FCC’s bark all the way to the Supreme Court, where in 1978, the justices ruled in favor of the FCC, agreeing that the seven words “you can’t say on television,” shouldn’t be said on the radio, either—not during hours that children might hear them. The battle lines for future Howard Stern wars had been drawn.

“It’s a perverse badge of honor to be the only comedian whose routines were the subject of a case in the United States Supreme Court,” Carlin told the A.V. Club in 2005.

Officially indecent, though not obscene, Carlin loomed larger than ever. His appearance on the first SNL in 1975—he performed standup only, and didn’t participate in the sketches—served as the show’s stamp of underground approval.

When I was a reporter for a daily newspaper, I had the good fortune to interview George. At the time he didn’t have a manager, and his wife, Brenda, who passed away 1997, set up the interview. George called me himself- I will never forget the thrill of seeing “CARLIN, GEORGE” on my caller ID. He was gracious, intelligent, patient, and very, very funny.

Condolences to George’s family, friends, and other fans. It’s going to be a rough day.

Thanks to WENN for these pictures of George Carlin throughout the years. The most recent photo is the one of him chatting on the phone, which was taken in LA on 5/26/08.

Update by Celebitchy: Here’s Carlin doing “Religion is Bullsh*t.” It obviously has NSFW language. RIP George Carlin.

The California wildfires have caused massive devastation throughout much of Southern California. The blazes have led to the evacuation of over half a million people, the largest in California’s history. In San Diego County alone, officials estimate the damage will come to at least $1 billion just for the homes. There are currently over 10,000 firefighters on the fire lines, and 585 square miles are currently burning. A lot of celebrity and expensive homes are in danger of burning to the ground – but thousands of regular people’s homes are in danger too, including a lot of people who don’t have insurance and can’t afford to “start from scratch” like some can. So while this affects our dearly beloved celebrity community, it resonates on a far deeper level, as it can do severe damage to people from every economic class.

George Carlin was on “The View” today and talked about his belief that the fires are the result of man-made problems.

Comedian George Carlin and actress Jamie Lee Curtis this week both suggested that the devastating wildfires raging in Southern California should not come as a surprise to a population that ravages the environment. Offering his provocative opinion on “The View” Wednesday morning, Carlin paraphrased an old comedy rant of his, and characterized the fires as cosmic payback from a planet stretched to its breaking point. “People are selfish,” he said. “These people with the fires and the floods and everything, they overbuild and they put nature to the test, and they get what’s coming to them, that’s what I say.”

Joy Behar replied, “That’s a little harsh, George.” But the 70-year-old comic continued: “People think nature is outside of them. They don’t take into [themselves] the idea that nature is a part of them.” Pointing to his chest, he said, “Nature is in here, and if you’re in tune with it, like the Indians – the balance of life, the harmony of nature – if you understand that, you don’t overbuild, you don’t do all this moron stuff.”

[From People]

I have heard a lot of experts saying the land and the air is the driest it has ever been in California. Though people have different view on why this is, most (but not all) chalk it up to global warming brought on by humans. Jamie Lee Curtis voiced an opinion similar to Carlin’s on “Entertainment Tonight.”

Speaking with Entertainment Tonight, Jamie Lee Curtis gave a similarly grim assessment of the situation, suggesting people are in “ultimate denial” about what they’re doing to the environment. “Global warming, combined with people building houses in places they shouldn’t, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera,” she said. “It just compounds to become, as they call it, a perfect storm experience here. It’s not by accident. This isn’t an act of God. This is an act of man.”

[From People]

I wasn’t much of an active environmentalist until a few years ago. I was one in theory but didn’t put any actions behind my words. I think that a lot of people (myself very much included) are starting to really understand the impact of our actions, and hopefully the tide is turning. Let’s cross our fingers that it’s not too late.

Picture note by Jaybird: Here’s an image of the California Wildfires from NASA. Header image of George Carlin at the “Jersey Girl” premiere. Image thanks to PR Photos.