*File Photo*

6/12/06 - *File Photo* * CARLIN DIES AT 71 Controversial comedian GEORGE CARLIN has died. He was 71. The star, known for his edgy and provocative stand up routines, died of heart failure at a Los Angeles hospital on Sunday (22Jun08). Carlin, who had a long history of heart problems and drug dependency, was admitted to the Saint John's Health Center in Santa Monica, California earlier that day (22Jun08) and passed away in the evening. Carlin rose to fame in the 1960s with appearances on TV programmes including The Ed Sullivan Show. He went on to become a regular on U.S. TV and became the first ever host of NBC's famed Saturday Night Live show in 1975. Carlin also appeared in a variety of movie roles and is best known as Rufus from 1989's Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure. Carlin leaves a daughter, Kelly, 45. (LR/WNWR/CL) "Tonight" host Jay Leno might want to consider wearing referee stripes on Wednesday's show when Ann Coulter and George Carlin are his guests. Coulter, the acid-tongued conservative with a new book out, and Carlin, the quick-witted, antiestablishment comedian who's in the voice cast for the new animated film "Cars," were booked at separate times for the NBC late-nighter, a spokeswoman said Monday. But the duo's meeting could produce serious fireworks for "Tonight," which usually limits its political fodder to Leno's bipartisan monologue jokes. Coulter, author of "Godless: The Church of Liberalism," has drawn fire for attacking the four New Jersey widows who pushed for an independent commission to investigate the September 11 World Trade Center attacks in which their husbands died. In her book, Coulter accuses the women of "reveling in their status as celebrities and stalked by grief-arazzis. I've never seen people enjoying their husbands' deaths so much." An appearance by Coulter on another NBC series, "Today," led to a prickly exchange with host Matt Lauer over her comments on the widows. On The Tonight Show with Jay Leno USA - 14.06.06 Supplied by WENN (WENN does not claim any Copyright or License in the attached material. Any downloading fees charged by WENN are for WENN's services only, and do not, nor are they intended to, convey to the user any ownership of Copyright or License in the material. By publishing this material, the user expressly agrees to indemnify and to hold WENN harmless from any claims, demands, or causes of action arising out of or connected in any way with user's publication of the material.)

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