In 2017, Rolling Stone magazine ranked him second (behind Richard Pryor) on its list of the 50 best stand-up comedians of all time. In 2004, he placed second on Comedy Central's list of top 10 American comedians. In 2008, he was posthumously awarded the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. His final comedy special, It's Bad for Ya, was filmed less than four months before his death from cardiac failure. He was a frequent performer and guest host on The Tonight Show during the three-decade Johnny Carson era and hosted the first episode of Saturday Night Live in 1975. He often commented on American political issues and satirized American culture. From the late 1980s onwards, his routines focused on sociocultural criticism of American society. The first of Carlin's 14 stand-up comedy specials for HBO was filmed in 1977. Pacifica Foundation, in which a 5–4 decision affirmed the government's power to censor indecent material on the public airwaves. His ' seven dirty words' routine was central to the 1978 United States Supreme Court case F.C.C. He was known for his dark comedy and reflections on politics, the English language, psychology, religion, and taboo subjects. Regarded as one of the most important and influential stand-up comedians of all time, he was dubbed 'the dean of counterculture comedians'. George Denis Patrick Carlin (– June 22, 2008) was an American stand-up comedian, actor, author, and social critic.
