In lieu of The Funny Site of the Day, we reminisce and give thanks for one of America's most prolific, uproarious, outrageous, profane, cranky, and beloved stand-up comedians.

George Carlin, 71, died Sunday evening in California, after an entertainment career spanning 51 years. He complained of chest pains and was admitted to Saint John's Health Center in Santa Monica, where he was pronounced dead of heart failure several hours later, according to Reuters. The Grammy Award winner, author, and actor had a history of heart and drug-dependency health issues.

Only a few days earlier, Carlin had been announced as the next recipient of the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. That celebration is scheduled on Nov. 10, according to The Boston Globe, at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.

More information on the life and death of George Carlin is available in this New York Times obituary.

The comedian was Internet savvy, maintaining his Web humor presence at GeorgeCarlin.com and Laugh.com. Performance clips of the popular Al Sleet and "Seven Words You Can't Say on Television" routines are accessible at The Funny Video of the Day.

On a personal note, Carlin -- my funny friends always refer to him as Carlin -- has been a comedy beacon and inspiration to me for more than 40 years, especially his sublime silly side. I was fortunate to see him in concert twice and what's struck me more than the gifted breadth of his talent was his work ethic. There are few performers that ever reach his level of commitment to the comedic process. He devoted an entire lifetime to the heavy lifting of creativity, fueling himself as the sole writer of the monologue material for decades and decades. Carlin was the pack mule of stand-up, always moving forward, always delivering the goods, always timely, always fresh.

He was the hippy-dippy funnyman. And, now, it's like ... dark.
_{George Carlin photo by Neilson Barnard / Getty Images.}