George Carlin

We lost a comedy genius over the weekend. By now you've probably heard that George Carlin passed away on Sunday from "heart failure"...a twist of verbal irony that I'm sure wouldn't be lost on George himself...because isn't it always heart failure that ends it all?

OK maybe I'm getting too deep into the George Carlin word-play!

Bottom line...Carlin took comedy to an entirely different level back in the day when people were still wearing suits and ties with nice neat haircuts. Carline said "screw that". He grew his hair, wore a beard, and dressed in black. He was the very first host of Saturday Night Live, made over 20 albums, appeared on TV and in movies , got nominated for awards, and pushed a lot of establishment buttons.

George Carlin never rested on his past accomplishments. His style continued to grow and change. For me though he was at his best in the mid 80's. I remember watching his HBO specials with my dad...each of us laughing so hard we had tears in our eyes. For me it's one of my fondest memories shared with my dad. I'm sure that later today we'll talk and Carlins passing will be one of the first subjects of our conversation.

It's kind of weird when someone famous passes...although most of us never really new the person except for what we saw on TV, in the movies, or read in interviews...but somehow we all feel a little sad for the loss.

George Carlin was on Inside the Actor's Studio a few years ago and was asked what he hoped to hear God say when he walked through the Pearly Gates...and as usual, Carlin said it like no one else could...he replied, "Now we're gonna have some fun around here."

I'm sure Heaven is in stiches this morning.