From the
Sam Simon Foundation:
It is with much sadness that we must let you know that Sam Simon has passed over. We all miss him, and in his honor, we will continue bringing his vision to light through our work at The Sam Simon Foundation. We take comfort in knowing how many greetings he is receiving across that Rainbow Bridge. We love you Sam!
Simon was instrumental in
creating the longest-running cartoon in television history:
Writer and producer Simon won nine Emmy Awards and helped develop "The Simpsons" with Matt Groening and James L. Brooks, now in its 27th year of production. Simon left the hit animated show in 1993 while retaining an executive producer credit on the series.
He was diagnosed with terminal cancer in 2012 and began
giving away his fortune:
Simon decided then and there to donate his substantial personal fortune of $100 million to charity. He doesn’t drive anymore. He doesn’t do much writing, either. But he said he does give.
“The sort of lifetime achievement stuff that I’m getting now is kind of like Tom Sawyer’s funeral because they all know I’m sick,” the childless writer told Hollywood Reporter last year. “I am getting buildings named after me and awards and stuff. The truth is, I have more money than I’m interested in spending. Everyone in my family is taken care of. And I enjoy this.”
On his experience with cancer:
The eventual news of his terminal cancer, though devastating, was also in some ways liberating for Simon, he told NBC this week. “Cancer has been a fight,” he said, today bald from chemotherapy. “It’s been an adventure. It’s been an education. It’s been the most amazing experience of my life.”