Sam Simon, the co-creator of the iconic animated series The Simpsons, has died.
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Simon, 59, was one of televisions most successful writers, with credits including some of TV's most loved comedies Taxi, Barney Miller and Cheers.
He also worked on The Tracey Ullman Show and It's Garry Shandling's Show.
Simon was diagnosed with terminal cancer in 2012 and made a public resolution to dispose of most of his wealth in the time he had left.
Most of it he put into the Sam Simon Foundation, which provides assistance dogs for the disabled and for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans afflicted with post-traumatic stress disorder.
Simon, James L. Brooks and Matt Groening developed The Simpsons together in 1989, though Groening was officially titled the show's creator.
At various times, Simon served as co-showrunner, creative consultant and writer.
He is still credited as a co-executive producer, though he has not worked on the show since 1993.
Simpsons fans immediately took to social media to pay tribute to Simon.
RIP Sam Simon. Your impact on television and the world will not be forgotten.
pic.twitter.com/uGure7rMIj — Larry King (@kingsthings)
March 9, 2015
Thank you Sam Simon for giving us one of the greatest shows ever.
pic.twitter.com/hdTGj8prA3 — Lik Chan (@LikChan)
March 9, 2015
The best TV credit you could possess. RIP Sam Simon.
pic.twitter.com/aAvnv4w1za — Dave Itzkoff (@ditzkoff)
March 9, 2015
RIP Sam Simon. Co-creator of the greatest TV show to grace the airwaves
pic.twitter.com/n3TATCHNeW — Brian Hoffman (@b_hoffman11)
March 9, 2015
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@ssfoundation1 ~ We have lost a great friend & humanitarian & a voice for the voiceless!
@simonsam inspired us all.
pic.twitter.com/UBh9psX7Ko — GRAY (@oceanshaman)
March 9, 2015
Samuel Michael Simon was born in Los Angeles on June 6, 1955. He attended Beverly Hills High School and later Stanford University.
While still a university student he started working as a newspaper cartoonist, and eventually got a job as a storyboard artist at Filmation Studios.
At Filmation, he worked on shows which have since become classics, such as The New Adventures of Mighty Mouse, Heckle & Jeckle and Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids.
In 1987, Simon and Brooks were both executive producing The Tracey Ullman Show and, with Groening, developed The Simpsons as a series of animated shorts.
The Simpson family - Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie - proved so successful that they were spun off into their own TV series.
While Groeing is credited with the creation of the series, and indeed based many characters on members of his own family, Simon has been acknowledged as a critical force in the show's development.
One of the show's most prolific directors, Brad Bird, called him "the unsung hero" of the show.
And one of the show's writers, Ken Levine, credited Simon with setting "the tone, the storytelling [and] the level of humour" of the show.
Simon was also a prolific philanthropist.
In addition to his foundation, he was a contributor to the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), Save The Children and the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society.
Such was his generosity, Sea Shepherd named one of their ships, the MV Sam Simon, after him.
Simon was married twice: to the actress Jennifer Tilly from 1984 to 1991, and later to the model Jami Ferrell for three weeks.
