Ron Simons dead: Actor and Tony Award-winning producer has passed away at 63

Actor Ron Simons, who was a four time Tony-Award winning producer, has died at 63. At the time of writing, no cause of his death has been disclosed. His passing was announced by his production company SimonSays Entertainment, and they shared a statement on Facebook which read: “It is with heavy hearts that we share the unexpected passing of our beloved, blessed, and highly favored friend, Ronald Keith Simons. Funeral details will be forthcoming,”

Ron Simons was born on 30 November 1960 in Detroit and after graduating with an MBA in marketing and international business from Columbia Business School, began his career as a product manager at Microsoft in San Francisco. 

Ron Simons didn’t decide to switch to the world of show business until he was 39 years old and studied acting at the University of Washington before moving to New York from California. Although he had many credits in the likes of Law & Order, Gun Hill Road, The Defenders and The Resident and Then Came You, Ron Simons decided to switch from acting to producing and in 2009, founded SimonSays Entertainment. 

The Hollywood Reporter wrote that “His first producing job was on the 2010 film Night Catches Us, starring Kerry Washington and Anthony Mackie. As for theatre, he began with the 2012 revival of Porgy and Bess, starring Audra McDonald and Norm Lewis.

“Simons went on to co-produce several Broadway shows throughout his career, winning Tony Awards for Porgy and Bess, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, and Jitney.”

When Ron Simons first moved from California to New York, he joined the Classical Theatre of Harlem, the Theatre company shared a statement following Ron Simons’s passing and wrote: “Our thoughts are with his family. Ron has left behind an unmatched legacy on Broadway and beyond. We will always remember his kindness and incredible talent that inspired so many.”

Ron Simons won Tony Awards as a producer for his work on  Porgy and Bess, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, and Jitney.