Santa Monica, Calif (AP) A publicist for George Carlin says the legendary comedian has died of heart failure at a hospital in Santa Monica, California.

Jeff Abraham says Carlin went into St. John's hospital on Sunday afternoon, complaining of chest pain. Carlin died at 5:55 p.m. pacific time. He was 71.

The dean of counterculture comedians, Carlin constantly pushed the envelope with his jokes, particularly with a routine called “the seven words you can never say on tv.”

When Carlin uttered all seven at a show in Milwaukee in 1972, he was arrested for disturbing the peace. And when they were played on a New York radio station, they resulted in a Supreme Court ruling in 1978 upholding the government's authority to sanction stations for broadcasting offensive language.