Carlin’s irreverent, hilarious, and poignant takes on religion, war, language, drugs, obscenity, and politics will remain timeless and relevant. Spanning a career of 50 years, this “counter-culture hero” has cultivated a whole generation of secular and independent thinkers, and his “Seven Words” routine went as far as the Supreme Court, where a 5-4 decision asserted the government’s right to censor and regulate the rants of Carlin during public performances. That was in 1978. He took what Lenny Bruce did on stage and put it on steroids, as a more menacing and yet hilarious diatribe on all the silly and illogical structures that seem to dictate the way our species functions.

Taking on everything from Bush’s foreign policy plan (which he coined as “pubescent”) to the hilarity of God and religion and even routines about bodily functions and adolescent awkwardness, Carlin’s performances never missed a beat.  When he’s not making you laugh, he sure as hell is making you think. And most of the time, he’s doing both at the same time … and doing it very well too. He was a brilliant comedian, and a phenomenal educator. I know I will surely miss this bastard and his rants.

He passed away died yesterday, June 22nd, at the age of 71 in Santa Monica, CA.

The irony: His 2005 HBO Special was titled “Life is Worth Losing.”