egendary comedian George Carlin passed away due to heart failure last night. He was 71, but had just released his 14th HBO special in March and was regularly performing right up until the end of his life. Carlin suffered from heart problems for years and frequently joked about it, one time comparing himself to Richard Pryor by saying, "Richard Pryor had a heart attack; I had a heart attack. Richard Pryor went into rehab; I went into rehab. Richard Pryor set himself on fire...I decided to have a second heart attack." The line is a perfect example of irreverent and fearless comedy that Carlin employed throughout his career. He was as much of a philosopher as he was a comedian, known for imparting insightful commentary to his audience while making them laugh hysterically.

George Carlin was as much of a philosopher as he was a comedian, known for imparting insightful commentary to his audience while making them laugh hysterically.

George Carlin was born on May 12 1937 in New York City. As the son of a father who worked in advertising and a mother who worked in magazines, Carlin developed a love of language at an early age. He dropped out of high school as he began to develop his lifelong hatred of authority and would find himself working as a radio host in the late 50s. He soon partnered with a fellow disc jockey Jack Burns and the pair moved to California in 1960 to perform as the comedy duo “Carlin And Burns.” Carlin would split from Jack Burns, but the comedians remained close friends. He would go on to become a clean cut and popular stand up comic, appearing in nightclubs and early television venues like The Tonight Show, but was never really satisfied with his work.