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Classmate Bob Jones remembers how Shandling would post himself at the same spot near the lunch crowd every morning. A handful of people would surround him as he told jokes.

Palo Verde was the only east side high school so they held two sessions, one in the morning and another in the afternoon. The first lunch period was at 9 a.m. and 鈥渢here鈥檚 Garry out there and he was always trying to draw a crowd,鈥� said Jones, who graduated with Shandling in 1967.

鈥淪ome of us would sit around and look at this guy like he was a nut case,鈥� Jones recalled Thursday, hours after news broke that Shandling had died of an apparent heart attack at a Los Angeles hospital. He was 66.

Shandling鈥檚 high school comedy schtick turned into a 30-year career that included long stretches on 鈥淭he Tonight Show with Johnny Carson鈥� and two cable shows 鈥� 鈥淚t鈥檚 Garry Shandling鈥檚 Show鈥� on Showtime from 1986 to 1990 and 鈥淭he Larry Sanders Show鈥� on HBO from 1992 to 1998.

鈥淲hen I saw him (on TV) I was flabbergasted,鈥� Jones, who worked in 大象APPradio for 30 years, said of watching Shandling go from class clown to Hollywood star. None of Shandling鈥檚 classmates would have guessed that the quiet kid in class who would occasionally disrupt the teacher with a joke would end up as one of the country鈥檚 top comedians.

Garry Shandling was born on Nov. 29, 1949, in Chicago but grew up in Tucson. After graduating from Palo Verde High School, he attended the University of Arizona, where he earned a marketing degree. He also took graduate courses in creative writing before striking out for Los Angeles in 1973 to work in advertising.

That career was short-lived after Shandling sold a script to the popular NBC sitcom 鈥淪anford and Son.鈥� He also wrote for 鈥淲elcome Back, Kotter.鈥�

Shandling began his standup career in the late 1970s at the Comedy Store in Los Angeles. His act revolved around his persona as an angst-ridden, grimacing and often confused man always on the verge of a losing it. Within a couple years, a scout for 鈥淭he Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson鈥� booked Shandling as a guest.

The appearance turned into a long relationship with the famous host; Shandling was a regular sub for Carson from 1981 to 1987; some even speculated that Shandling was a shoe-in to replace Carson when he left the show in 1992.

Shandling also was given a prime-time national stage from 2000 to 2004 as host of the Emmy Awards.

Shandling鈥檚 death shocked the comedy world.

Jamie Masada, owner the Laugh Factory comedy club, said he met with Shandling a few weeks ago and the comedian didn鈥檛 appear to have any health problems.

鈥淗e looked healthy as could be,鈥� Masada said.

Kathy Griffin posted a photo on Twitter Sunday of her and Shandling with fellow comedian Bob Odenkirk. On Thursday, she retweeted the photo: 鈥淪unday, my longtime friend Garry Shandling was here, making every1 laugh. I loved him. I鈥檒l miss our talks the most.鈥�

鈥淕arry was a guiding voice of comedy,鈥� said Odenkirk. 鈥淗e set the standard and we鈥檙e all still trying to meet it.鈥�

Filmmaker Judd Apatow declared, 鈥淕arry would see the ridiculousness of me being asked to sum up his life five minutes after being told of his passing. It is a perfect, ridiculous Larry Sanders moment. ... I am just too sad. Maybe tomorrow I will do better.鈥�

Comedian/actor Ricky Gervais on Thursday tweeted, 鈥淩IP the great Garry Shandling. Surely, one of the most influential comedians of a generation.鈥�