What Bob Simon meant to the people he interviewed

Not long after word spread that our colleague Bob Simon had been killed in a car accident, 60 Minutes began getting letters of sympathy from some of the people he interviewed.

We heard from all kinds: monks on a remote Greek island, a comedian known as the Egyptian Jon Stewart, an Olympic snowboarder, a star baseball player -- even an art forger and an Internet pirate.

FC Barcelona

In the world of sports, Bob reported on FC Barcelona, perhaps the best soccer team in the world, in 2013. More of an art enthusiast than a sports fan, Bob was nonetheless impressed by their skills and told 60 Minutes Overtime: "These guys playing is like Picasso, another great Spaniard, with a brush, making brush strokes."

"Mr. Simon . . . was able to flawlessly capture the essence of our Club philosophy."

The Barcelona team was similarly impressed by Bob, and within hours of his death, the team's official website featured a full-page tribute to him. 60 Minutes received the following letter from the team's director of communication, Albert Montagut:

"As you know, in late 2012, the Club opened its doors for Mr. Simon and his team to produce a report for 60 Minutes. That very report ... will eternally live on as a true journalistic jewel, one of the most important and outstanding news pieces to have ever been dedicated to FC Barcelona. In that broadcast Mr. Simon, in our humble opinion, was able to flawlessly capture the essence of our Club philosophy."

The monks of Mount Athos

"I've been around the world many times," Bob told 60 Minutes Overtime in 2011, "but I've never ever seen a place like Mount Athos ... it hasn't changed in thousands of years."

"I have sent word to the Holy Mountain . . . prayers are being offered for him and his family."

It took more than two years for Bob and his team to convince the monks of Mt. Athos to give 60 Minutes access to the Holy Mountain -- one of the holiest places in Eastern Orthodox Christianity -- and the bond formed between Bob and the Athonite monks still holds up today. 60 Minutes received the following note from Father Maximos, whom Bob interviewed for our story. The subject line reads: "On the loss of our friend"

"I'm shocked and deeply saddened. I have sent word to the Holy Mountain, where I am sure prayers are being offered for him and his family."

Shaun White

When Bob interviewed snowboarding champion Shaun White in 2010, it was the first story that Tanya Simon -- Bob's daughter and a 60 Minutes producer -- had reported with her Dad. White tweeted this message in remembrance of Bob:

Kimbanguist Symphony Orchestra

Bob loved music and interviewed some of the greatest singers and musicians in the world, but he had a special place in his heart for an amateur orchestra in war-torn Democratic Republic of Congo. Members of the Kimbanguist Symphony Orchestra overcame poverty, hardship, and struggles of life in the world's poorest country to create what Bob called "some of the most moving music" he'd ever heard.

"The story...opened many doors for us."

After Bob's death, we received letters from members of the orchestra, who Bob met while reporting, " Joy in the Congo ," and they spoke of the impact Bob's report had on their group.

Opera singer Sabine Kallhammer wrote 60 Minutes to say that working on the story with Bob was one of the most "unforgettable" weeks of her life. The orchestra's conductor and music director, Armand Diangienda, wrote:

"His visit to Kinshasa remains unforgettable for us because the story...opened many doors for us outside of Africa: A trip to Los Angeles in 2013 and a tour to the United Kingdom in September 2014. I also became an honorary member of the Royal Philharmonic Society. Bob brought us Joy and we will never forget him."

Albert Pujols

In 2011, Bob traveled with baseball superstar Albert Pujols to his hometown in the Dominican Republic, where Pujols spent time giving back to the locals. Bob concluded Pujols was as much of a star on the field as he was off. Pujols felt similarly about Bob:

Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao

Filipino champion boxer Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao was profiled by Bob in 2010, after Pacquiao won election to the Congress of the Philippines. Bob told Overtime that he waited hours for Manny to show up for the interview: "I don't know whether he just doesn't have any sense of time, which is possible, or he just doesn't care, which I think is probable," Bob said. "Listen, he's such a superstar. Why should he worry about keeping ordinary mortals waiting?" After Bob's death, Pacquiao recalled the experience as "fun":

Larry the Cable Guy

Comedian Dan Whitney, better known as Larry the Cable Guy, was profiled by Bob in 2006. Bob described him as a "pig-raising hillbilly," but clearly enjoyed his company. "Like him or not, you have to admit that Larry the Cable Guy is doing about as much as anyone to increase the level of human happiness on Earth, and that's a mighty fine accomplishment," Bob wrote. Whitney echoed the sentiment on Twitter:

Panthera wild cat conservation

In his years at 60 Minutes, Bob developed a love for covering animal stories -- a "healthier addiction" than being a war correspondent, he told Overtime.

"Bob came alive upon seeing his first wild jaguar."

Addiction eventually transformed into activism when Bob started reporting stories like "In Search of the Jaguar," about the threatened existence of Brazil's elusive big cats.

"That's one of the few editorial positions we can take, and get away with: that we would like to see wild animals survive. And anyone who disagrees with us, feel free to write a letter," Bob told Overtime.

Panthera, the conservation group Bob traveled with while reporting the jaguar story, published the following tribute to Bob on its website:

"It is with heavy hearts that our team at Panthera remembers Bob Simon ... a champion for wildlife. ... Bob came alive upon seeing his first wild jaguar from the boat. ... Eyes aflame, and exuding passion and enthusiasm, Bob was hooked and the story unfolded. He even helped attach a special GPS collar to a beautiful female jaguar named Noca. We stayed in touch with Bob Simon after the airing, and he ran an update on Noca a year later after this young female, whose sleeping body he had held, had given birth and was photographed with one of her cubs. He was truly as excited as we were."

The Recycled Orchestra

Bob believed that music triumphs everywhere and anywhere, and that certainly was the case when he traveled to Paraguay in 2014 to report on the "The Recyclers." In this story, Bob took us to a town built on a garbage dump, where residents use their imagination and ingenuity to craft musical instruments out of garbage.

"The children of the orchestra are also extremely saddened to hear this news and remember Bob very fondly."

Favio Chavez, the recycled orchestra's director, wrote to 60 Minutes while visiting Boston, where the group was scheduled to take part in a concert:

"It has been extremely saddening for us to hear the news of Mr. Bob Simon's death. We have such fond memories of Bob coming to Paraguay to do his report on our orchestra in Cateura. He went to our houses and was so sweet with each and every family. The children of the orchestra are also extremely saddened to hear this news and remember Bob very fondly. The report that Bob did on the orchestra has allowed so many people around the world to know our story and has given us so many opportunities. We will always be grateful for that."

Wolfgang Beltracchi, art forger

Wolfgang Beltracchi, an artist who forged the works of Cezanne, Ernst and Rembrandt, and got away with the multi-million dollar scam for years, also reached out to the broadcast when he heard of Bob's passing. As a forger, Beltracchi certainly knew the real thing when he saw it, and wrote to us about his impressions of Bob:

"We are very sad to hear of Bob Simon's death. I liked this very great man. He was enormously impressive. It is terrible that he left us too early. I will always keep him in good memory."

NASA

In 2005, Bob visited NASA where inventors were working to build personal flying machines. It's been about a decade since the story aired, but NASA remembered Bob fondly via Twitter:

Michael Moore

Bob interviewed Michael Moore in 2003, right before his controversial documentary "Bowling for Columbine" won the Academy Award. Moore remembered Bob in this Tweet:

Kim Dotcom

Internet pirate Kim Dotcom expressed an appreciation for Bob, even though Bob had described him as a "narcissist par excellence" on Overtime:

Bassem Youssef

Egyptian comedian Bassem Youssef -- also known as "The Jon Stewart of Egypt" -- spoke with Bob in March, after Egyptian authorities labeled Youssef a "traitor" for his satirical news show. He tweeted this note of remembrance:

Deborah Voigt

An opera aficionado, Bob interviewed the one of the world's greatest singers Deborah Voigt in 2006. She tweeted this message in memory of Bob:

Editor's Note: In addition to these note and tweets, the outpouring of viewer comments have been read and appreciated. Beyond sharing your thoughts with us on social media, 60 Minutes has set up an email account to collect remembrances of Bob Simon: rememberingbobsimon@cbsnews.com

Correction: An earlier version of this story stated that the Kimbanguist Symphony Orchestra is in Sudan. It is in Democratic Republic of Congo.