Comedian and actor Garry Shandling has died suddenly. He was 66.
TMZ was the first to break the story and reports that Shandling suffered a major heart attack. He was rushed from his Los Angeles home to a nearby hospital where attempts to save him failed.
According to Variety, the Emmy winning star was not suffering from any illnesses.
Just days before he retweeted this picture of himself with Better Call Saul star Bob Odenkirk and comedienne Kathy Griffin.
Shandling was a TV comedy pioneer, creating and starring in It's Garry Shandling's Show. The show was known for often breaking the fourth wall with Shandling speaking directly to the home audience. It was critically acclaimed and a hit for Showtime, earning several Emmy awards during its run from 1986 to 1990.
But it was his follow up, The Larry Sanders Show, one of HBO’s first steps into original programming, that would earn Shandling his most acclaim. The biting behind-the-scenes send up ‘of late night talk shows made Time’s 100 Best TV Shows of All Time and was nominated for 18 Emmys with Shandling and co-creator Peter Tolan winning for the series finale.
The Larry Sanders Show influenced many comic writers but none more prominent that it’s staff writer Judd Apatow who went on to become a major Hollywood player.
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