Sam Simon, Co-Creator of ‘The Simpsons’, Dies After Donating $100 Million To Charity

Sam Simon, aged 59, nine-time Emmy winner and co-creator of the landmark animated series “The Simpsons” has died of colorectal cancer in Los Angeles.

Simon told NBC’s Maria Shriver in 2014 that his final months had been happy, “Somehow, I ended up surrounded by people that love me and take care of me and will do anything for me. It’s a good feeling. That’s called happiness”.

The Simpsons, he once said, gave him more freedom, “You can draw animals and sets but the animated characters also have freedom. The Simpsons sometimes do things that real people wouldn’t do”.

After he came to know of his illness in February 2013, Simon turned to philanthropy and donated his vast fortune, a cool $100 million, to charity.

Simon financed the Sam Simon Foundation, which allowed him to rescue animals. He also funded a traveling animal surgery clinic to assist these ailing pets. He has also supported PETA, Save the Children, and the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. After being diagnosed with terminal cancer, he even started buying zoos and circuses to free animals. Simon was also a passionate advocate for atheism, and a life member of the atheism action group American Atheists.

“A lot of it is selfish, I get to watch these animals that have been in concrete bunkers their whole life, I get to watch them take their first steps on grass, I get to fly my friends out. They’re dependent on us for that and so I feel that it’s my responsibility to speak for those who can’t speak for themselves,” he said.