'Simpsons' Co-Creator, Diagnosed with Terminal Cancer, Donating $100 Million Fortune to Charity

Sam Simon might not have known how many lives he would touch when he co-created "The Simpsons" with Matt Groening, but he must know how many he'll touch with this move.

A couple of years ago, Simon received some of the worst news imaginable: that he had terminal colon cancer, and had only months left to live.

Simon decided to make a positive out of a negative, and has been working ever since to try to donate his entire fortune—about $100 million—to charity.

"I think that my passion for the animals and against animal abuse is based on the knowledge that these creatures who feel and think can’t speak for themselves and they’re dependent on us for that," Simon said in an interview. "And so I feel it’s my responsibility to speak for those that can’t speak for themselves."

Many of Simon's targeted charities have something to do with animals, though many of them help humans as well in the process. For example, Simon has created his own charity program, the Sam Simon Foundation, which helps feed families in need and helps pair service animals with military veterans.

Simon has found happiness through this work, he says. "Somehow, I ended up surrounded by people that love me and take care of me and will do anything for me,” he said. “It’s a good feeling. That’s called happiness."