US playwright, 'king of comedy' Neil Simon dead at 91
Neil Simon, the prolific and Pulitzer Prize-winning US playwright celebrated as the king of comedy who won more Oscar and Tony nominations combined than any other showbiz writer, died on Sunday. Many of his works are classics of 20th century American theater and Simon has been credited with playing a seminal role -- along with film director Woody Allen -- in re-crafting US humor in the 1960s and 1970s. Longtime friend Bill Evans announced his death early Sunday in a New York hospital of complications from pneumonia.