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(JTA) —\u00a0 Garry Shandling, a comedian, actor, writer and producer best known for starring in the Emmy-winning \u201cThe Larry Sanders Show,\u201d has died at 66.<\/p>\n
Shandling, who was Jewish, died at a Los Angeles hospital Thursday, TMZ reported. The cause of death has not yet been reported.<\/p>\n
Police told The Associated Press that they were sent to the actor\u2019s home Thursday for a medical emergency and that he was taken to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.<\/p>\n
According to Variety, Shandling was not known to have been suffering from any illnesses and was posting on Twitter earlier in the week.<\/p>\n
Born in Chicago, Shandling grew up in Tuscon, Arizona, where his family had moved in hopes that the climate would be therapeutic for Shandling\u2019s older brother, who had cystic fibrosis. His mother ran a pet store and his father owned a print shop.<\/p>\n
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\u2019s TV show.<\/p>\n
\u201cHere he is, this kid in Arizona, he\u2019s not in New York,\u201d Shandling told the Times, \u201cand while being Jewish, he\u2019s not at all Jewish in the traditional sense, of a noisy Jewish household. And suddenly he sees Woody Allen, and he relates.\u201d<\/p>\n
Shandling\u2019s \u201cbig break,\u201d according to the Times, came when he appeared on \u201cThe Tonight\u00a0 Show” in 1981 and host Johnny Carson said, \u201cHis name is Garry Shandling. You\u2019ll hear a lot about him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Shandling wrote for several sitcoms, including “Welcome Back Kotter,” but the first sitcom in which he appeared, \u201cIt\u2019s Garry Shandling\u2019s Show,\u201d ran from 1986 to 1990, first on Showtime then Fox. \u201cThe Larry Sanders Show\u201d ran on HBO from 1992 to 1998.<\/p>\n
According to Variety, Shandling was nominated for 18 Emmys for \u201cThe Larry Sanders Show\u201d and won an Emmy for the series finale. He also hosted both the Grammys and Emmy Awards several times.<\/p>\n
The series \u201cwas said to have a lasting impact on comedy at HBO, influencing such series as [Larry David’s] \u2018Curb Your Enthusiasm,\u2019\u201d Variety reported.<\/p>\n