An investigation has been launched into the death of comedian and actor Garry Shandling after his doctor refused to sign his death certificate, according to a coroner’s lieutenant.
Calling it “not a big deal,” coroner’s Lt. Dave Smith told City News Service it appears Shandling died of natural causes.
“By the law, the coroner has to inquire into the death, when a doctor does not sign the death certificate,” Smith said. “Apparently, he (Shandling) wasn’t actually (regularly) going to a doctor’s office.”
The doctor, who was not named, has been quoted as saying Shankling was in good health, but had not been examined for more than a year, several medis outlets reported.
Smith said no autopsy will be performed and the pending toxicology results will be correlated with Shandling’s medical history to determine a cause of death.
Smith said he had no timetable of when the toxicology will be completed.
Moreover, the coroner’s office is expected to sign the death certificate as “deferred” to allow Shandling’s family to select a funeral home for the late comedian, he said. Los Angeles Police Officer Tony Im said paramedics from the city’s fire department were called to Shandling’s home on Thursday and the comedian was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. TMZ reported that Shandling suffered a heart attack. He was 66.
Fire department officials would not provide details, citing federal health-care privacy laws, but said crews responded to a medical emergency call at 10:40 a.m. Thursday in the 1700 block of North Correa Way.
A Chicago native, Shandling broke into show business writing for shows such as “Welcome Back, Kotter” and “Sanford and Son.” As a stand-up comedian, he became a favorite of Johnny Carson with his appearance on “The Tonight Show,” so much so that he had repeated stints as guest host in Carson’s absence.
He gained cult fame with his off-beat Showtime comedy “It’s Garry Shandling’s Show,” which debuted in the mid-80s and ran for 72 episodes. The show became a hit thanks to the combination of Shandling’s deadpan wit and its tendency for characters to talk to the audience.
At the end of the show’s run, Shandling created “The Larry Sanders Show,” a behind-the-scenes take on a fictional talk show. The HBO show ran from 1992-98 and is credited with ushering in an era of experimental television comedy and influencing a generation of comedy stars including Judd Apatow, Conan O’Brien, Ricky Gervais and many others.
Shandling also wrote and starred in the 2000 film “What Planet Are You From?” He most recently appeared on screen in 2014’s “Captain America: The Winter Soldier.” His other credits include “Iron Man 2,” “Zoolander” and “Trust the Man.”
