NEW YORK (CelebrityAccess) – Neil Simon, king of comedy playwrights, died Sunday (Aug 26) at the age of 91.
A statement from his reps read: “Neil Simon, the Pulitzer Prize-winning American playwright, died last night at New York-Presbyterian Hospital in New York City. The cause was complications from pneumonia.”
As a playwright, Simon saw more than 30 of his plays mounted to Broadway. He was best known for works such as “The Odd Couple,” “Barefoot in the Park,” “Lost In Yonkers,” “Biloxi Blues,” as well as more commercial fare such as “The Prisoner of Second Avenue,” “California Suite” and “The Sunshine Boys.”
Having also written for the silver screen, Simon’s first original comedy to hit big was “The Out-of-Towners,” starring Jack Lemmon and Sandy Dennis. He later famously penned “The Goodbye Girl,” which won an Oscar for Richard Dreyfuss.
Over the course of his illustrious nearly 70-year career, Simon secured four Oscar nominations and 17 Tony nominations. His works also brought an unprecedented 50 Tony nominations for their actors.
He is survived by his wife Elaine Joyce Simon and his daughters Ellen and Nancy Simon.
