Comedian George Carlin, a counterculture symbol, died Sunday of heart failure. According to The Associated Press, Carlin’s publicist Jeff Abraham said Carlin, who had had heart trouble before, was taken to St. John's Health Center in Santa Monica because he was complaining of chest pains. He died later in the evening. His last performance was last weekend at the Orleans Casino and Hotel in Las Vegas.

Jack Burns, who made a duo with Carlin in the 1960s said that he will miss him very much and, from his point of view, Carlin “was a genius,” reported The Associated Press.

There are not many comedians who can take it to the next level and really break all conventions and rules. Comedy is a powerful instrument and it can be used as a tool to express the frustrations and all the wrongs in this world. George Carlin realized that, by doing what he did, he managed to say no to all of society’s rules and taboos. He never accepted limits and spoke his mind in a blunt way, not being afraid of authority or caring what people said.

His controversial routine “Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television,” caused his arrest when he was doing a show in Milwaukee, in 1972. He was charged with disturbing the peace and was released after a $150 bail was paid. The judge who was assigned for that case said that, even though Carlin was indecent, he didn’t cause any disturbance.

But, later in 1978, when a New York Radio Station aired the same routine, the case went to The Supreme Court. The U.S. court ruled that Carlin’s words were indecent and the government could interdict the show to be aired during hours when children might be listening.

It was a well known fact that the comedian went through some hard times during his life, given the fact that he had a period when he used cocaine, then went to prescription pills and alcohol. When he was a cocaine addict he didn’t take care of his money and came to own about $3 million in back taxes. Finally, in 2004, he went to a rehab clinic.

“I don't have any beliefs or allegiances. I don't believe in this country, I don't believe in religion, or a god, and I don't believe in all these man-made institutional ideas," Carlin told Reuters in a 2001 interview. He always said that humanity was cursed and hoped that, when he died, he could watch the end of the civilization on a “heavenly CNN.”

Carlin won four Grammy Awards, recorded 22 comedy albums, wrote best-selling books and hosted hundreds of shows, including “Saturday Night Live.”

He tried to break all the misconceptions and taboos created by religion or by society. He began doing comedy on a superficial level, realizing soon that he was “in the wrong place doing the wrong things for the wrong people,” taking it to the next level and saying serious things in a humorous manner.

George Dennis Carlin was born on May 12, 1937, in New York City. He died Sunday, June 22, 2008, leaving behind his second wife Sally Wade, his daughter Kelly Carlin and his brother, Patrick. His first wife Brenda died of cancer in 1997.