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Simon Cowell (conservationist)

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Simon Cowell
MBE
Born
Simon Maxwell Cowell

(1952-04-19)19 April 1952
Epsom, England
Died9 June 2024(2024-06-09) (aged 72)
EducationCity of London Freemen's School
Alma materJesus College, Cambridge (PhD)
Occupation(s)Television presenter, conservationist, author
Years active1983–2024
OrganizationWildlife Aid Foundation
Spouse
Jillian Geraldine Cowell
​
​
(divorced)​
Children2

Simon Maxwell Cowell MBE (19 April 1952 – 9 June 2024) was a British conservationist, television presenter, and author best known for hosting the Animal Planet documentary series Wildlife SOS from 1996 to 2014.[1] He was the founder of Wildlife Aid Foundation, originally titled Wildlife Aid, which is a charitable organization dedicated to the "rescue, rehabilitation, and release of British wildlife".[2]

Early life and education

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Cowell was born on 19 April 1952.[3][4][5] In his early life, he suffered from stuttering, and enjoyed singing. He attended the City of London Freemen's boarding school,[6] and took part in multiple choirs and school musicals.[1]

Cowell earned a PhD in biological sciences at Jesus College, Cambridge, and worked as a commodities trader through the 1980s.[7][4]

Career

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Together with his ex-wife, Jill, Cowell co-founded the Wildlife Aid Foundation animal rescue and rehabilitation centre in 1983,[8] several years after setting up a wildlife sanctuary on the grounds of his home.[4] The organisation's activities were the subject of the television series Wildlife SOS, and subsequently a YouTube channel series with entries being released to the present day.[9]

As part of his efforts as a conservationist and animal-rights activist, he has campaigned for PETA.[1] Cowell has been described as a "forthright, witty character" who is "not averse" to profanity. Ricky Gervais once described him as "David Attenborough with Tourette's".[4]

He was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2005 Birthday Honours for "services to wildlife".[1][3] As an author, Cowell released a memoir entitled My Wild Life: The Story of a Most Unlikely Animal Rescuer in 2016.[4]

Personal life

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Cowell had two daughters with his ex-wife, Jillian Geraldine.[4][8] He resided in Leatherhead, Surrey, and Wildlife Aid Foundation was run out of his home.[10]

Health and death

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Cowell endured a self-described nervous breakdown in 1994, after which he decided to leave London and dedicate "all his time" to the Wildlife Aid charity.[1]

In July 2022 it was announced, through his foundation, that Cowell had been diagnosed with an aggressive, terminal form of lung cancer in late June.[11] A donation campaign for his organisation, titled Simon's Last Wish was launched on 15 July[10][12] and raised more than £650,000.[13]

On 11 May 2024, it was announced that Cowell's cancer had progressed to his vital organs and although he was still undergoing treatment, doctors had given a prognosis of a few weeks. He died of complications from the disease on 9 June, at the age of 72.[14][15][16][17]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e Cowell, Simon (11 June 2020). "I'm Simon Cowell – but I can't rocket you to stardom". Metro. Archived from the original on 16 July 2022. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  2. ^ "Wildlife Aid Foundation | Find Out More From WAF..." Wildlifeaid.org.uk. Archived from the original on 15 July 2022. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  3. ^ a b "Central Chancery of the Orders of Knighthood" (PDF). news.bbc.co.uk. BBC News. 11 June 2005. Archived (PDF) from the original on 12 July 2018. Retrieved 16 July 2022.
  4. ^ a b c d e f "Wildlife crusader Simon Cowell: 'When I collapsed from executive burn-out I realised that I really wanted to work with injured animals'". Belfast Telegraph. 25 August 2016. Archived from the original on 16 July 2022.
  5. ^ @wildlifeaid (19 April 2016). "Happy birthday to our founder, Simon Cowell. Thank you for all that you have done and continue to do for wildlife!!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  6. ^ "The Ashtead Link". The Ashtead Link – Journal of the Old Freemen's Association (27): 12–13, 16–17. March 2013. Archived from the original on 16 July 2022. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  7. ^ Cowell, Simon (4 August 2016). My Wild Life: The Story of a Most Unlikely Animal Rescuer. Michael O'Mara. ISBN 978-1782435204. Archived from the original on 29 March 2023. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
  8. ^ a b de Muth, Susan (22 December 1993). "On the Wild Side: Jill Cowell". Independent. Archived from the original on 16 July 2022. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  9. ^ "Wildlife Aid – YouTube (channel)". Youtube. Archived from the original on 15 July 2022. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  10. ^ a b "Simon's Last Wish". Wildlifeaid.org.uk. Archived from the original on 16 July 2022. Retrieved 16 July 2022.
  11. ^ @wildlifeaid (15 July 2022). "Simon Cowell, our founder, has been diagnosed with an aggressive form of lung cancer that is terminal" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  12. ^ Harding, Nick (3 October 2022). "Wildlife Conservationist's Dying Wish To Save More Animals". Archived from the original on 11 June 2024. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
  13. ^ "Simon Cowell: Wildlife SOS presenter and conservationist dies aged 72". Sky News. Archived from the original on 11 June 2024. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
  14. ^ "Simon Cowell MBE". Archived from the original on 10 June 2024. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
  15. ^ Panons, Jacob (11 June 2024). "Simon Cowell: TV presenter and conservationist dies". BBC News. Archived from the original on 20 June 2024. Retrieved 2 July 2024.
  16. ^ "Simon Cowell: Wildlife SOS presenter and conservationist dies aged 72". Sky News. 10 June 2024. Archived from the original on 11 June 2024. Retrieved 2 July 2024.
  17. ^ Coady-Stemp, Emily (1 July 2024). "Simon Cowell: Wildlife charity requests wildflower seed tributes". BBC News. Archived from the original on 1 July 2024. Retrieved 2 July 2024.
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