Groundbreaking comedian Garry Shandling died on Thursday at the age of 66. The late comedian inspired an entire generation of comics who took to social media to pay their respects to the co-creator and star of the HBO show "The Larry Sanders Show."
Shandling got his start in comedy writing for "Sanford & Son" and "Welcome Back Kotter" before he eventually switched lanes to performing standup. Before Shandling went on to star on his hit HBO show, he co-created the Emmy-nominated series "It's Garry Shandling's Show," which ran from 1986-1990 and was known for breaking the fourth wall.
"The Larry Sanders Show" was a hit satire show that took a fictional look into the world of late night TV. The show ran from 1992 to 1998 and eearned a total of 18 Emmy nominations. Shandling was a frequent guest of "The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson" and was even considered to take over for the host when he retired. Most recently, the late comedian appeared on a January episode of Jerry Seinfeld's "Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee."
Shandling's film credits include "Zoolander," "Iron Man 2" and most recently "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" in which he played a corrupt senator. Among those who mourned the late comic on Twitter were Amy Schumer, Jimmy Kimmel, Kathy Griffin, Steve Martin, Judd Apatow and Ricky Gervais.
"Garry was a guiding voice of comedy. He set the standard and we're all still trying to meet it. He gave us all opportunities to learn how to do the best work of our lives," "Larry Sanders" costar Bob Odenkirk said in a statement. "But, more importantly, as I knew him these last few years, he was a person who never stopped trying to be a better person. That's yet another way he inspired me and I'm sure many others who knew him."
Goodbye Gary Shandling thank you for your kindness and your generosity and for making me laugh so damn much
— Amy Schumer (@amyschumer) March 24, 2016
Garry Shandling was as kind and generous as he was funny and that is saying a lot. — Jimmy Kimmel (@jimmykimmel) March 24, 2016
Garry Shandling was a very special comedian with a beautifully unpredictable mind. He even voluntarily offered jokes and ideas for Oscars. — Steve Martin (@SteveMartinToGo) March 24, 2016
pic.twitter.com/IEkzbx6GBv — Judd Apatow (@JuddApatow) March 24, 2016
Sunday, my longtime friend Garry Shandling was here, making every1 laugh. I loved him. I'll miss our talks the most. pic.twitter.com/Ud8AQXNBXN — Kathy Griffin (@kathygriffin) March 24, 2016
RIP the great Garry Shandling. Surely, one of the most influential comedians of a generation.
— Ricky Gervais (@rickygervais) March 24, 2016
Shocked and saddened to hear about Garry Shandling's sudden death. I was honored to get to work with him. He will be missed. — Ellen DeGeneres (@TheEllenShow) March 24, 2016
“He inspired an entire generation of comedians.” - #Conan remembers his friend, the generous genius Garry Shandling. https://t.co/McXUNcB2eh
— Team Coco (@TeamCoco) March 25, 2016
Saddened over Garry Shandling. He was a comedy idol of mine. He leaves behind the greatest single-camera comedy of all time. #LarrySanders — Seth MacFarlane (@SethMacFarlane) March 24, 2016
RIP Garry Shandling, a groundbreaking and irreplaceable comedian. Thank you for making us laugh.
— Comedy Central (@ComedyCentral) March 24, 2016
Saddened by the news of the passing of Garry Shandling , I met Garry at @TheComedyStore WEST in 1979 #VayaConDios … https://t.co/YuMvM38FYw — George Lopez (@georgelopez) March 24, 2016
Heartbreaking news about Garry Shandling. Just heartbreaking.
— Seth Meyers (@sethmeyers) March 24, 2016