Photo by. PKIMAGE NEW YORK — 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. He was 91.

The brains behind more than 30 plays, 20 screenplays and five musicals, Time magazine dubbed him the “patron saint of laughter.”

Many of his works are classics of 20th century American theater and Simon has been credited with playing a seminal role in re-crafting US humor in the 1960s and 1970s.

His influence has been felt through the generations, The New York Times drawing a line between Simon’s early comedies and the character-based comedy in the hit sitcom Seinfeld.

Simon was the author of critically acclaimed and commercial hits such as Barefoot in the Park, The Odd Couple, and The Sunshine Boys.