George Carlin, who transformed himself from a mild-mannered stand up comic who entertained family audiences to an icon of the counter-culture, has died from heart failure at age 71. Carlin, who freely admitted abusing drugs and alcohol in his younger days, remained one of America's most popular comics and was working steadily in both live venues and on TV specials. Considered by many to be the natural heir to Lenny Bruce, Carlin entered headlines in the 1970s by pushing the envelope in terms of censorship and free speech. His "Seven Words" you can't say on TV or radio became a prime topic of conversation - especially after Carlin was arrested for saying them all in rapid succession at a live gig that saw him charged with "disturbing the peace." The charge was dropped, but it cemented Carlin's status as one of America's hippest social commentators. For this committed atheist, organized religion was also a favorite topic with routines aimed at mocking the every aspect of church dogma. Although his left-wing political views generally made conservative elected officials the target of his routines, Carlin also was noted for his non-controversial "slice-of-life" observations such as, "Why do they lock gas station bathrooms?Are they afraid someone will clean them?" Carlin also dabbled in movie roles appearing in such films as Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, Car Wash and several films for director Kevin Smith, which kept his profile high among the college crowd. Ironically, he made his feature film debut opposite Doris Day in the 1968 comedy With Six You Get Eggroll. For more click here

Click here to watch Carlin's Seven Words rift

Charisse with Gene Kelly in Singin' in the Rain, regarded by many as the greatest American movie musical.

Cyd Charisse, the acclaimed actress and dancer who made movie history opposite Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly, died Tuesday at age 86. Charisse was one of the major names from Hollywood's Golden Era, starring in such classics as Singin' in the Rain, The Bandwagon, Silk Stockings and It's Always Fair Weather. In recent years, Charisse also created her own fitness videos for senior citizens. Spy movie fans will always remember her memorable striptease to the opening credits of the Dean Martin Matt Helm movie The Silencers. For Variety's tribute to this legendary star, click here

Legendary special effects genius Stan Winston, the man who brought dinosaurs to life in Jurassic Park, has died at age 62. Still very immersed in creating new state of the art imagery for motion pictures, Winston's death has shocked his friends and colleagues despite the fact that he had been fighting multiple myeloma. "The entertainment industry has lost a genius, and I lost one of my best friends with the death Sunday night of Stan Winston," Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said in a statement. "Stan's work and four Oscars speak for themselves and will live on forever. What will live forever in my heart is the way that Stan loved everyone and treated each of his friends like they were family." Winston was also known for his special effects work on Terminator 2, Aliens, Edward Scissorhands and Batman Returns. For more click here

Italian director Dino Risi died in Rome yesterday at age 91. One  of the nation's most respected post-WWII directors, Risi made many popular films including the 1974 movie that was later remade in English as Scent of a Woman- for which Al Pacino won an Oscar. For more click here

Mel Ferrer with Audrey Hepburn: the couple divorced in 1968

Mel Ferrer, the multi-talented actor, producer and director who was once wed to Audrey Hepburn, has died at age 90. Ferrer directed Hepburn in Green Mansions and produced her 1967 thriller Wait Until Dark for which she received an Oscar nomination. Ferrer also starred in War and Peace, Lili, The World, the Flesh and the Devil, The Longest Day, The Fall of the Roman Empire and the John Wayne thriller Brannigan. Click here for more details.