Sam Simon

Sam Simon loved Muhammad Ali. I don’t know for sure that they ever even met, but he admired Ali for being a rebel, brilliant and above all hilarious, which were all qualities that described Sam. Simon, the Simpsons co-creator who died March 8 at 59, started a facility for abandoned dogs that anyone would feel loved in. He was a writer who saw three moves ahead of other writers, pitching concepts and jokes that would prove incredibly fruitful and timeless.

Perhaps the most amazing thing about Sam was all the amazing things you could say about Sam. As a boy, Elvis Presley returned his lost dog to him. And he was instrumental in launching a television show that is still going, 26 years and more than 560 episodes later.

Sam was always as funny as anyone in the room. And perhaps most amazing, the last year of his life, when he was in incredible pain, was also filled with incredible good deeds and was, according to him, his favorite year.

Farewell to a man who was already larger than life.

Jean is an executive producer of The Simpsons