In a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Sam Simon, co-creator of the cartoon hit "The Simpsons," revealed he's giving his fortune to charity after being diagnosed with terminal colon cancer.
Simon, who left "The Simpsons" in 1993 and currently works as a consultant on the FX sitcom "Anger Management", said he plans to donate almost all of his royalties, which add up to "tens of millions" of dollars.
In his years since gaining fame with the FOX animated series, Simon has become known as a philanthropist, donating time and money to organizations like PETA and Save The Children. He even created his own charity, The Sam Simon Foundation, which has a dual focus on ending hunger and saving dogs.
"I was just an animal lover," Simon told THR on how he first got involved in charity work. "Everything that the Sam Simon Foundation does is supposed to help dogs and people -- that's our mission."
Simon, who announced his cancer diagnosis in May, says the experience really forced him to start making plans.
"You know, I'm not married, and I don't have kids. I had an emergency operation when I was septic, and I really did come very close to dying. My colon cancer perforated my colon," he said. "When I woke up in the hospital, even though I did have a will, it did become that much more important to me to set this stuff up for the future."
As for his health, Simon is undergoing chemotherapy and said he's feeling the effects.
"I get every possible side effect -- fatigue, nausea --...so today and tomorrow are, like, my two good days for the month. So I'm feeling pretty good today, and, you know, we shall see."
