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."

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