One of the wittiest, funniest and most irreverent comedians of all time is gone. George Carlin, whose acerbic humor inadvertently helped the U.S. Supreme Court determine which seven dirty words couldn't be said on television in his bit "Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television," died of heart failure on Sunday in a hospital in Santa Monica. He was 71.

The New York Times has printed a lengthy, insightful obituary that's worth a read. And here are a couple Carlin quotes about heavy metal that The Times seems to have missed. Read more...