George Carlin Honored by Peers

Comedian George Carlin, who died of heart failure in June at 71, was given the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor last night. It was an award the comedian considered to be the only one that recognized comedy.

The ceremony, held at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., featured speeches by Jon Stewart, Denis Leary, Lily Tomlin, and Joan Rivers, the Associated Press reported.

Stewart said to the audience, "For all his antiestablishment cred, he was a working man. He punched in. He sat down and he wrote. He respected what he did."

Leary remembered being in church and collecting money with the altar boys to buy Carlin's "Seven Words" record, which was banned in their church.

He said, "That was when I realized you could make money for saying things my dad used to say when he was fixing the car."

While Carlin was seen as a rebel in comedy, he really felt at home performing in comedy clubs with other comedians.

Jerry Hamza, who was Carlin's longtime manager and best friend, said, "George, who throughout his career was perceived as an outsider or maverick, had a real desire to connect with other comedians. He loved being in that club."

Carlin was still alive when he was contacted about receiving the award. His daughter, Kelly Carlin McCall, talked to the AP about her father's excitement in receiving the award.

"He was thrilled," she said. "I think he represented a lot of what Mark Twain did for our country, not only being smart and funny but also being a sharp commentator." This was the first time the award was given posthumously.

Before he passed away, Carlin had begun work on his autobiography. McCall and her brother, Patrick, are going to complete the parts Carlin didn't finish. The book will be published next year.

Carlin's final HBO special, his 14th, "It's Bad For Ya," will be released on DVD on November 25.