# Obituary



He probably extended the life of someone you love

Dr. Michael DeBakey, who developed bypass surgery and many other procedures for heart patients, died of natural causes at age 99.

Chances are you care about someone who benefited from the surgical techniques he pioneered and the instruments he invented.

Click the link to read about his achievements and the tens of thousands of patients he operated on, including world leaders and people who could not afford to pay for surgery.

I used to follow Russian politics closely, and Dr. DeBakey became a celebrity in Russia after he was a consultant to President Boris Yeltsin’s bypass operation in 1996.

The other famous passing of the weekend was former White House spokesman Tony Snow, who died of cancer at age 53.

Open thread on George Carlin

The comedian George Carlin has died of a heart condition at the age of 71.

You can find links to a couple of clips and many remembrances in the comments to this diary:

http://www.dailykos.com/story/…

My brother and I saw Carlin live at the Civic Center in Des Moines during the 1980s.

One line I remember from his show was something like, “I’m leading Richard Pryor in heart attacks 2-1, but he’s leading me in burning yourself up 1-0.”

Use this as an open thread to share your thoughts and memories.

UPDATE: A bunch of video clips of classic Carlin routines are in the comment thread under this diary:

http://www.mydd.com/story/2008…

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