LOS ANGELES (CelebrityAccess) — Garry Shandling, the noted comedian and writer, best known for his work on the 'Larry Sanders Show' and 'It's Garry Shandling's Show' has died. He was 66.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, the Los Angeles Fire Department responded to an address reported to be Shandling's on Thursday morning for an unspecified medical emergency. The patient was then transported to Providence Saint John's Health Center in Santa Monica. A cause of death has not been officially announced, but TMZ reported that Shandling suffered a heart attack.
A native of Chicago, Shandling arrived in Los Angeles in his early 20s, finding work doing ad copy, but eventually writing for television shows such as Welcome Back, Kotter.
In 1977, after surviving a serious car accident, Shandling began to focus more on stand-up and after a breakout performance on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson in 1981, became a regular on late night television, serving as the guest host for Tonight after Joan Rivers' departure.
Shandling also developed, with premium cable network Showtime, his own 4th-wall breaking sitcom It's Garry Shandling's Show. The show ran for more than 70 episodes and was picked up by Fox as well in 1990.
Shandling next launched The Larry Sanders Show with HBO, which became a cult favorite with frequent insiders nods to Hollywood and regularly featuring guest stars who played themselves in the show's context of a behind the scenes glimpse at a talk show. The Emmy Award-winning show ran for a total of 89 episodes before wrapping in 1998.
Shandling appeared in numerous motion pictures as well, including roles in The Night We Never Met, Town & Country, Zoolander, Iron Man and most recently Captain America: Winter Soldier. – Staff Writers
