Comedian George Carlin dead at age 71

SANTA MONICA, CA Jeff Abraham says Carlin went into St. John's Hospital on Sunday afternoon, complaining of chest pain. Carlin died at 5:55 p.m. Pacific time. He was 71.

The dean of counterculture comedians, Carlin constantly pushed the envelope with his jokes, particularly with a routine called "The Seven Words You Can Never Say On TV."

When Carlin uttered all seven at a show in Milwaukee in 1972, he was arrested for disturbing the peace. And when they were played on a New York radio station, they resulted in a Supreme Court ruling in 1978 upholding the government's authority to sanction stations for broadcasting offensive language.

- Headlines at a glance