Sam Simon Dead - Nine-time Emmy winner, and one of the men behind the landmark animated series "The Simpsons," Sam Simon, died Sunday of colorectal cancer at his Los Angeles home, as confirmed by The Sam Simon Charity earlier today. He was diagnosed with terminal cancer in late 2012 and he died at 59, according to Variety.
On Monday, "Simpsons" showrunner Al Jean also confirmed the news with a tweet .
Simon reportedly shared seven of his Emmy Awards for "The Simpsons" and two for his work on "The Tracey Ullman Show." He developed the famous animated sitcom in 1989 with Matt Groening and James L. Brooks. He also subsequently co-wrote nearly a dozen "Simpsons" episodes while on tenure on the animated comedy, also working as co-showrunner, character designer, creative consultant, creative supervisor, developer, and writer.
In 1993, he left the show while still retaining an exec producer title.
According to Simon, it provided him more freedom than live action.
"You can draw animals and sets but the animated characters also have freedom. The Simpsons sometimes do things that real people wouldn't do," he said.
With Sam Simon dead, his great contributions to the animated sitcom are remembered.
"Sam Simon taught me everything about animation writing, and even more about life," "The Simpsons" said exec producer Al Jean after Sam Simon died.
When Simon "turned to writing animation, he helped to give birth to something which changed the landscape of television and has given him a legacy that will live forever," said Craig Miller, chairman of the Animation Writers Caucus of the Writers Guild of America West, as he spoke in November 2013 announcing that Simon would be receiving the AWC's writing award that month.
"I'm here to tell you, the real creative force behind 'The Simpsons' was Sam Simon. The tone, the storytelling, the level of humor - that was all developed on Sam's watch," said Ken Levine, a writer on the series.
Even after Simon left "The Simpsons" in 1993, the early years were reportedly internally contentious, and Simon continued receiving between $20 million to $30 million per year after a deal which allowed him a part of the show's future earnings.
Over more than two decades, the show continued to generate hundreds of episodes.
With Sam Simon dead, his acts as an avid philanthropist were also recognized. He reportedly donated over $100 million to charities including PETA to support animal rights, naming its Norfolk, Va., HQ the Sam Simon Center. In 2002, he founded the not-for-profit Sam Simon Foundation , a place for the rehabilitation and rescue of dogs from shelters and trains them to assist the disabled, according to Polygon.
Simon also supported Save the Children and global marine conservation organization the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, which named one of its vessels after him.
Even before Sam Simon died, his many achievements had already been recognized and profiled on "60 Minutes" in 2007. After the show, CBS correspondent Daniel Schorn wrote online that he is "the Renaissance man of the baffling, uncertain age we live in."
As a writer, Simon also took a stab at the feature arena, writing the 1991 slumlord comedy "The Super," which starred Joe Pesci.
Before Sam Simon died, he had served as an executive consultant for FX's Charlie Sheen comedy "Anger Management" in 2012-13, whilst also directing an episode of the series in 2012.
After getting diagnosed with colon cancer, Simon reportedly began buying zoos and circuses to free animals.
He received the WGA's Valentine Davies Award for his humanitarian work.
Sam Simon had been married to actress Jennifer Tilly, as well as Playboy Playmate Jami Ferrell from 2000-03.
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