The Simpsons Co-Creator Sam Simon Has Died Aged 59

Sam Simon, co-creator of The Simpsons, and writer for ‘Taxi’ and ‘Cheers’ died of colorectal cancer at his home in Los Angeles on Sunday. The 59-year old, who was diagnosed with terminal cancer in late 2012, became a philanthropist later in life and was a nine-time Emmy winner. Simpsons colleague Al Jean confirmed the news in a tweet today, posting:

.@thesimpsons #everysimpsonsever Just heard terrible news of death of @simonsam. A great man; I owe him everything. — Al Jean (@AlJean) March 9, 2015

Simon developed The Simpsons with Matt Groening and James L. Brooks in 1989, co-writing episodes of the show, while also serving as co-showrunner, character designer, creative consultant, creative supervisor, developer, and writer. He left the show in 1993 while retaining an executive producer credit.