RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST: And yesterday brought us the sad news that comedian Garry Shandling has died of an apparent heart attack at the age of 66. Long before TV shows like "The Office" and "Parks and Recreation" made the mock documentary popular, there was "The Larry Sanders Show."</s>RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST: Garry Shandling's 1990s HBO show went behind the scenes at a make-believe, late-night talk show with Shandling as the neurotic host, Larry Sanders. Here's Larry chatting with actor Alec Baldwin.</s>ALEC BALDWIN: (As himself) Well, actually Larry, you know, you and I have something in common.</s>GARRY SHANDLING: (As Larry Sanders) Yes. Yes we do.</s>GARRY SHANDLING: (As Larry Sanders) A lot of you probably don't know that Alec and I - well Alec used to actually date my ex-wife Francine.</s>ALEC BALDWIN: (As himself) No, I was referring to our charity work with multiple sclerosis.</s>GARRY SHANDLING: (As Larry Sanders) I know. I know, that, too.</s>RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST: And late-night hosts paid tribute to Shandling. Here's Conan O'Brien on his show.</s>RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST: CONAN O'BRIEN: He was a masterful writer, a performer who went on to create incredibly groundbreaking comedy shows that inspired an entire generation of comedians, myself included.</s>RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST: Remembering Garry Shandling, who died yesterday. And you're listening to MORNING EDITION from NPR News.
Comic Garry Shandling, host of the groundbreaking HBO comedy series The Larry Sanders Show, died Thursday of natural causes. The 66-year-old began his showbiz career as a writer for TV sitcoms such as Welcome Back, Kotter and Sanford and Son.