'Simpsons' Co-Creator Sam Simon Dead At 59
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Sam Simon, co-creator of TV's long-running "The Simpsons", has died after a long battle with cancer, according to reports. He was 59.
Simon co-wrote almost a dozen episodes of the Fox show, which he developed in 1989 with Matt Groening and James L. Brooks, according to Variety.
He died Sunday at his home in Los Angeles, TMZ reported.
In addition to "The Simpsons", Simon was a writer, producer and director on some of Hollywood's most memorable shows, including "Barney Miller", "Taxi", "Cheers", "It's Garry Shandling's Show", "The Tracey Ullman Show" and "The Drew Carey Show".
He was also an avid dog enthusiast and started The Sam Simon Foundation to provide a variety of free surgeries to cats and dogs belonging to low-income families as well as to rescue dogs from shelters and humane societies to become hearing dogs for those who are deaf or hard of hearing.
Al Jean, a co-creator of "The Simpsons" and the series' showrunner, posted the following message to Twitter: "Just heard terrible news of death of (Simon). A great man. I owe him everything. If you would like to honor Sam's memory, do something nice for the next animal you meet. An enormous loss."
Simon was diagnosed with terminal cancer in late 2012.
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