George Carlin

I'm not typically affected by celebrity deaths. Sure, it's sad, because death in general is sad--but let's face it, I didn't know the person, so I can't really feel any kind of deep-seated loss at their passing. In fact, the only celebrity deaths that had any marked effect on me at all were Fred Rogers and Steve Irwin, Rogers for his constant presence in my childhood playtime hours, and Irwin just because I never actually believed it would happen.
But for some reason, the George Carlin thing really hit me. Maybe it's because I essentially grew up on his humor, even when it was being filtered through my parents. Maybe it's because he just flat-out wasn't that old--I mean, I know 71 is kind of getting up there, especially with a history of heart problems, but for someone as active as Carlin, it really doesn't seem like much.

But I think this situation has more to do with the Crocodile Hunter than Mr. Rogers--I just never really considered the fact that George Carlin might die. It never occurred to me that he would no longer be able to make cameo appearances in films, to write more books, to host Saturday Night Live, any of it. He's just such a staple in comedy that it's hard for me to imagine comedy without him.

Like I said, celebrity deaths don't really hit me, so I just wanted to say something about one of the handful that have