Comedian dies before scheduled return date next month
HAMPTON — The Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom is mourning the loss of a comic legend known for such bits as “Some People are Stupid” and the infamous, obscenity-laced “Seven Words You Can Never Say on TV.”
George Carlin, who had a history of heart problems, died of heart failure Sunday at the age of 71, according to his publicist, Jeff Abraham.
He had performed as recently as last weekend at the Orleans Casino and Hotel in Las Vegas and was scheduled to return to the Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom for two sold-out shows on July 24.
Andrew Herrick, marketing director for the Casino, said Carlin’s shows were always sold out and he held the record of performing at the venue more than any other artist in the last two decades.
“It is with a heavy heart that we learned of the passing of this comic legend,” said Herrick. “George Carlin was perhaps the most popular act in the history of the Casino Ballroom.”
Herrick said he was such an icon at the Casino that he was included in the mural of legends that hangs in the concert hall.
The mural, painted in the ’80s, is of all the legends who have played the Ballroom over the years and includes the likes of Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix.
Herrick said he met Carlin many times, and he was always working on the next joke.
“You would see him backstage always working on a lot of stuff,” Herrick said. “It was always a new show. There would be times where he would get pretty dark with his comedy, but I think it was just a reflection of what his life was about.”
Not only was Carlin a well-known stand-up comedian, he also wrote three best-selling books, created more than 20 record albums and made countless television appearances with his material.
Carlin was often quoted, and his best lines traded like baseball cards. One of his famous routines began:“Have you ever noticed that anybody driving slower than you is an idiot, and anyone going faster than you is a maniac?”
Another famous routine pointed out the differences between the pastoral game of baseball and the militaristic game of football, “Baseball is played on a diamond, in a park. The baseball park! Football is played on a gridiron, in a stadium, sometimes called Soldier Field or War Memorial Stadium.”
His most famous bit, “Seven Words You Can Never Say on TV,” prompted a landmark indecency case after New York’s WBAI-FM radio aired it in 1973.
The case was appealed to the Supreme Court, which ruled 5-4 that the sketch was “indecent, but not obscene,” giving the Federal Communications Commission Board leeway to determine what constituted indecency on the airwaves.
Herrick said no one ever left one of Carlin’s shows disappointed.
“He was always great,” Herrick said. “It was never a disappointment, and we were looking forward to this year’s show.
“We will miss his humor, his professionalism and, most of all, his spirit.”
Herrick said refunds for the shows are available at point of purchase, and the Casino will go dark that night.
“It will be a night to remember and think about George,” Herrick said.
Material from The Associated Press was used in this report.
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