Actor and comedian Rick Taber Shandling who pioneered a pretend brand of self-focused docudrama with “The Larry Sanders Show”, died, Thursday, March 24, 2016, in Los Angeles.
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Shandling, best known for his work on the pioneering cable television comedy series The Larry Sanders Show, died on Thursday at age 66.
Officials reportedly said Shandling died later at a Los Angeles hospital.
According to the Daily News, Shandling started out as a sitcom screenwriter, but after suffering critical injuries in a vehicle accident in 1977, he realized that his true calling was as a stand-up comedian.
The comic won numerous prizes – including two British Comedy Awards and a Bafta award – over his 40 year career, which entered a prolonged period of success when he launched Its Garry Shandling’s Show in 1986.
In recent hours, some of comedy’s biggest names have addressed Shandling’s untimely death.
He was mentioned as a candidate to follow David Letterman as a bona fide late-night host for CBS’ 12:30 a.m. slot, but no deal was made. But, more importantly, as I knew him these last few years, he was a person who never stopped trying to be a better person.
He obtained a marketing degree and when Shandling moved from Arizona to Los Angeles, he worked on such shows as Welcome Back, Kotter as a writer and was a guest host for Johnny Caron. The Larry Sanders Show was a late night TV talk show as well as showing the behind the scenes workings (or chaos) behind the show. On “The Larry Sanders Show”, life was funnier off-stage. Actor Garry Shandling arrives at the world premiere of Paramount Pictures & Marvel Entertainment’s “Iron Man 2” held at the El Capitan Theatre on April 26, 2010 in Hollywood, California. “What are you doing?'”
On the latter occasion, he spotted Donald Trump in the audience and congratulated the billionaire developer for hosting the Emmy-nominated “The Apprentice”.
On top of that, just days before, the Larry Sanders Show star was hanging out with fellow comedians Kathy Griffin, 55, and Bob Odenkirk, 53.
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He also served as a popular awards show host, emceeing the Grammys in 1990, 1991, 1993 and 1994, and the Emmys in 2000 and 2004. “What I want at my funeral is an actual boxing referee to do a count, and at 5 just wave it off and say, ‘He’s not getting up”, he said in the January 20 episode.
