Watch Garry Shandling Give ET a Tour of His Home Back in 1986

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Just one of the tragedies of Garry Shandling's death is that, as far as comedy is concerned, he was always ahead of his time.

The late comedian -- who died on Thursday at age 66 -- helped birth so much of the life-imitating-art-imitating-life meta-comedy that we love today. Case in point, this home tour Shandling gave ET's Leeza Gibbons in 1986 to prove the set of his Showtime series, It's Garry Shandling's Show, was "almost identical" to his real home.

WATCH: Gary Shandling Dead at 66

"All kidding aside, those people who have seen my show on cable -- it's designed after this house," Shandling explained. "It's a pathetic thing. Since, basically, I can't act, the thing to do is get me in an environment where I can just be like this."

If for no other reason, watch the tour to remember how hilarious Shandling always was -- like when he jokes that he decorated the clutter-filled loft himself or details the mirror he's going to hang above his bed, explaining, "Objects are larger than they appear."

On Thursday, ET spoke with It's Garry Shandling's Show co-creator Alan Zweibel, who said the loss of his longtime friend and colleague was "profound."
"His influence was far reaching," Zweibel explained, noting he helped produce 70 episodes of the show over four years. "Garry's comedic ability was genius and working alongside him made me a better writer."

"He was the kindest person in the world," the producer and writer added. "Sure, a little eccentric, but the most giving and generous of his time and ability."

Back in January, Shandling appeared on an episode of Jerry Seinfeld's Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee -- unfortunately named, "It's Great That Garry Shandling Is Still Alive" -- and was asked about how his other show, HBO's The Larry Sanders Show, influenced future shows like The Office and Modern Family.


WATCH: Fellow Comedians and Other Celebs React to Garry Shandling's Sudden Death

"I knew when I explained to HBO what I wanted to do, I couldn't say, 'It's a little bit of this show and a little bit of that show.' I couldn't even do that," he recalled. "Let me tell you something, I was crazy. I said, 'This doesn't even exist! The world doesn't even exist! What are you doing?'"

Find out more about Shandling's unexpected death in the video below.