Yes, George Carlin has died of heart failure. He was 71.

Check out his Times write-up here. It does a better job of summing up his illustrious career than a chump like me ever could.

I had the pleasure of seeing George Carlin live once — he came to Yale to give a talk; it was billed as something between a lecture and a stand-up set. This was about six, maybe seven years ago.

He also ennumerated his moral and religious beliefs (not many of the latter, Mr. Carlin was none too fond of religion). He spent a fair amount of time on a bit I’ve heard since — reducing the ten commandments to two. I remember what he said, and in lieu of a review of his amazing career here (he hardly needs a guy like me to praise him) I’ll list those two commandments as I still remember them, and a few other remarks on his remarkable legacy, after the jump…