Garry Shandling, comedian, dies at 66
GARRY SHANDLING, a comedian, actor, writer, and producer best known for starring in the Emmy-winning The Larry Sanders Show, died March 24 at the age of 66.
Police told The Associated Press they were sent to the actor’s home for a medical emergency and that he was taken to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
According to Variety, Shandling was not known to have been suffering from any illnesses and was posting on Twitter earlier in the week.
Born in Chicago, Shandling grew up in Tucson, Ariz., where his family had moved in hopes that the climate would be therapeutic for Shandling’s older brother, who had cystic fibrosis. His mother ran a pet store and his father owned a print shop.
In a 2007 interview with The New York Times, Shandling said he became interested in comedy as a teen, when he saw Woody Allen appear on a children’s TV show.
Shandling wrote for several sitcoms, including Welcome Back, Kotter, but the first sitcom in which he appeared, It’s Garry Shandling’s Show, ran from 1986 to 1990, first on Showtime then Fox. The Larry Sanders Show ran on HBO from 1992 to 1998.
According to Variety, Shandling was nominated for 18 Emmys for Sanders and won an Emmy for the series finale. He also hosted both the Grammys and Emmy Awards several times.
— JTA
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