On Sunday night, it was learned the comedian George Carlin died of heart failure at a Los Angeles hospital.

Carlin is best-known for stand-up comedy that was biting and irreverent, yet revealed a love of the English language (even those famed “Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television”).

Carlin also was the voice of Fillmore the hippie VW Microbus during the Disney/Pixar animated movie “Cars.” Carlin didn’t have many lines, but a few were memorable. That goes for his “Respect the classics, man” when Sarge, his Jeep neighbor, objected about Fillmore playing Jimi Hendrix’s version of the “Star-Spangled Banner.”

So Carlin is no longer with us. But Fillmore’s direct inspiration, Route 66 artist Bob Waldmire, is still very much alive and traveling the road as usual.