We have some very sad news to report: co-creator of The Simpsons Sam Simon has died at 59 after battling colorectal cancer. Simon died at his home in Los Angeles on Sunday his reps confirmed to Variety. Simpsons showrunner Al Jean also confirmed the news via Twitter by writing: "Just heard terrible news of death of @simonsam. A great man; I owe him everything." He added, "If you would like to honor Sam's memory, do something nice for the next animal you meet. An enormous loss."
In 2012, Simon was diagnosed with terminal cancer, but the talented and generous man didn't let it dictate his life. After sharing his illness with the world, Simon revealed he would donate his entire multimillion dollar fortune to charity, including PETA (Simon was a huge animal lover), Save the Children, and Feeding Families. He even had his own foundation, the Sam Simon Foundation, where he rescued dogs, funded a traveling animal surgery clinic, and provided vegan food for those suffering from hunger.
If that isn't enough, soon after his diagnosis, Simon began buying zoos and circuses to help free the animals. I think that says it all about Simon: he was a great man, who's memory will live on forever.
Like Simon's work with animals and charity, he, of course, left a mark in the entertainment world. In addition to his work on The Simpsons, Simon worked on several major hits, including Taxi, Cheers, The Drew Carey Show, and The Tracey Ullman Show, among many others. He also won several awards for his writing and producing work, like those nine Emmy's he took home.
There's no doubt that Simon will be missed, but he'll never be forgotten thanks to his work and philanthropic efforts he shared with us.
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