George Carlin Could Be Emmy Favorite Despite His Death

When the 60th annual Primetime Emmy Awards are presented by the American Academy of Television Arts and Sciences on Sunday, September 21, 2008 the late and legendary comedian George Carlin is an odds-on favorite to win an award in the Variety, Music or Comedy Special Category.

He is nominated for an Emmy for his "George Carlin: It's Bad For Ya!" The show aired on HBO.

Carlin died in Santa Monica, California on June 22, 2008 at the age of 71. He was considered a master at social and political comedic commentary that was often described as over-the-top as well as cutting edge. Carlin was noted for his use of language, particularly his "Seven Dirty Words" comedy routine that was part of a radio censorship case that made its way to the U.S. Supreme Court in 1978.

If he wins the Emmy award as predicted, Carlin would join a number of other stars that were nominated or awarded an Emmy after their death. Here's a sampling.

In 1977 actor Peter Finch (he of "Network" fame - his memorable line was "I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore") was nominated for his performance in the NBC television movie "Raid on Entebbe." Finch had died five days after the film was broadcast.

Similarly, in 1995 actor Raul Julia - known for his zany portrayal of Gomez Addams in "The Addams Family" (1991) and its sequel "Addams Family Values" (1993) - received a posthumous Emmy for his work in "The Burning Season."

A 2004 posthumous Emmy nomination went to actor/comedian John Ritter. He was nominated for outstanding lead actor in a comedy series for ABC's "8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter." Ritter had died on Sept. 11, 2003, after completing only three episodes of the sitcom's second season.

Also that year Marlo Thomas, the daughter of St. Jude founder and actor/comedian Danny Thomas, accepted the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award for her late father at the 56th annual Emmy Awards.

The late ABC News anchor, Peter Jennings won two posthumous Emmys for his coverage of the Iraq war in 2006. Jennings produced his winning series, "Iraq: Where Things Stand," for ABC News just over two months before he announced he had lung cancer.