Comedian Garry Shandling Dead At 66

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com/AP) — Comedian Gary Shandling, best known for bringing his off-beat humor to "It's Garry Shandling's Show" and "The Larry Sanders Show," has died. He was 66.

Shandling died Thursday in Los Angeles of an undisclosed cause, according to LAPD Officer Tony Im.

Paramedics were called to Shandling's home, and the comedian was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead, Im said.

TMZ reports Shandling suffered a heart attack.

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Numerous celebrities took to social media to mourn the loss of Shandling.

The Chicago-born Shandling moved from a short stint in the advertising business to comedy writing and standup.

Then in the 1980s he began to experiment with TV comedy with his first series, "It's Garry Shandling's Show," a Showtime sitcom that called attention to its artificial nature with the actors routinely breaking the fourth wall.

In 1992, he created his comic masterpiece with "The Larry Sanders Show," which starred him as an egomaniacal late-night TV host with an anxiety-ridden show-biz life behind the scenes.

"Sanders" earned him a pair of Golden Globe nominations for best actor in a television comedy series. The show also earned a pile of Primetime Emmy nominations. Shandling shared a comedy series writing Emmy for writing in 1998.

His more recent work was in front of the camera, when he wrote and starred in the 2000 film "What Planet Are You From?" Shandling also appeared on screen in 2014's "Captain America: The Winter Soldier." His other credits include "Iron Man 2," "Zoolander" and "Trust the Man".

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