A maverick has passed.

Carlin was one of the country’s best-known comedians in the 1970s, an anti-establishment icon who appeared on popular television programs such as “The Tonight Show.” He wore long hair and a beard when most comedians were clean cut, and combined a bug-eyed stare with irreverent observations on politics, religion and modern life.

He was arrested for violating obscenity laws in 1972 in Milwaukee and his “seven words” routine, in which Carlin describes at length the words that are banned on television and radio, found its way to the U.S. Supreme Court. In 1978, the justices ruled 5-4 that the Federal Communications Commission has a right to regulate spoken-word performances on public airwaves to prevent children from hearing profanities.

`Anti-Authoritarian’

“I’ve always been sort of anti-authoritarian and I really don’t like arbitrary rules and regulations that are essentially designed to get people in the habit of conforming,” Carlin said in a National Public Radio interview on Nov. 1, 2004. George Carlin, 71, `Seven Dirty Words’ Comedian, Dies (Update1) Bloomberg New Service