Nine-time Emmy winner Sam Simon, co-creator of The Simpsons died yesterday of colorectal cancer at his home in LA. In 1989 along with Matt Groening and James L. Brooks, he developed the ground-breaking animated series and he co-wrote nearly a dozen episodes, also serving as co-showrunner, character designer, creative consultant, creative supervisor, developer, and writer. He left the show in 1993. He said animation gave him more freedom than live action:

“You can draw animals and sets but the animated characters also have freedom. The Simpsons sometimes do things that real people wouldn’t do.”

Simon was also a BIG animal lover, he funded the Sam Simon Foundation, which rescued dogs, funded a animal surgery clinic on wheels assisting the ailing pets of those who otherwise could not afford medical attention and provided vegan food for hungry people. He also supported PETA, which named its Norfolk, VA, headquarters the Sam Simon Center; Save the Children; and the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, which named one of its vessels after him. After being diagnosed with colon cancer in late 2012, Simon started buying zoos and circuses to free animals. He was 59. (via Variety)