Sad news for the world of comedic television, and especially for the family of The Simpsons. One of the show's co-creators, and one of the world's most generous philanthropists, passed away on Sunday. Sam Simon was one of the three driving forces behind the creation of the world of Springfield.
According to his agent, Andy Patman, Simon passed away in his home in LA's Pacific Palisades area. He was 59 years old and has been battling cancer for a number of years.
Simon, together with Matt Groening and James L. Brooks, helped turn The Simpsons into the long-running success it is today. However, in 1994, he exited from the show which he helped develop from a short on the Tracey Ullman Show into a half-hour weekly series with a very lucrative deal that allowed him to keep his Executive Producer credit intact at the end of every episode. His royalties also famously allowed him to spend the rest of his live giving away his fortunes to numerous charities.
The split was not amicable. Matt Groening (and even Simon himself) has said that Simon was not an easy individual to work with. But Simon's mark on the Simpsons, even after just 4 seasons, would help set the tone for the series for the many years to come.
It was he who insisted the behind-the-scenes workings of the animated series be treated more like a sitcom with writers collaborating together on scripts and voice actors doing readings together to give it a more cohesive feel and organic flow than a traditional cartoon show where writers and actors might never meet throughout the run of the series.
Prior to his work on The Simpsons, he also worked on other memorable cartoons like Fat Albert and Cosby Kids and worked as a writer for hugely successful sitcoms like Cheers and Taxi. His other work on television also includes The George Carlin Show and The Drew Carey Show.
When he was diagnosed with colorectal cancer in February 2013, he said he would give all his royalties from The Simpsons to charity, which he has said earned him "tens of millions" dollars annually.
Some of those charities include The Sam Simon Foundation which rescues dogs from shelters and trains them to help the disabled. Other recipients of his fortunes include Mercy for Animals, and the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society.
Clearly, with his passion for animal rights, Simon made an impact on others who also shared his advocacy. Ingrid Newkirk, the President of PETA, said upon learning of Simon's passing, "[Simon] said the last two years of his life, since his diagnosis, were his happiest, as he used them to help animals who had nothing, and it gave him great joy to see chimpanzees, elephants, and even a 'gay' bull find freedom from harm because he had worked with PETA to get them all out of hideous circumstances."
Showrunner for The Simpsons, Al Jean, also expressed his sadness at Simon's death, yet honored his memory. "He was a genius and a great humanitarian in ways public and private. I personally owe him more than can be repaid, but I will do my best to help every animal I can in his memory," he said in a statement.
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