George Carlin died a few days ago of a heart failure.
http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/06/23/arts/24carlin.php Although I didn't ever get to see one of his shows live, he was someone I looked up to in many regards. One think I admire is that he did what he loved until the end. If you haven't seen his very recent full hour special this year "it's bad for ya", it's one of his best acts if not the best.