- David Simon, the visionary Chairman, CEO and President of Simon Property Group, passed away peacefully on March 22, 2026, surrounded by his family after a courageous battle with cancer. He was 64 years old.
- Simon orchestrated the company’s initial public offering in 1993, was named CEO in 1995 at just 33 years old, and delivered a cumulative total shareholder return of more than 4,500% since that IPO.
- Following the David Simon death announcement, his son Eli Simon was immediately named CEO and President of Simon Property Group, continuing the family dynasty that built America’s most powerful mall empire.
The man who turned a regional family real estate business into the most powerful mall empire on the planet is gone. David Simon, the sometimes forceful and always relentless CEO of Simon Property Group, died on Sunday at age 64. The news broke Monday morning and sent shockwaves through the real estate and retail industries, both of which he had completely reshaped over three extraordinary decades. The David Simon death announcement hit differently because, for so many people in this business, he was not just a CEO. He was the standard.
From Investment Banker to the King of American Malls
David Simon joined Simon Property Group’s predecessor, Melvin Simon & Associates, as chief financial officer in 1990 after serving as an investment banker at First Boston Corp. and Wasserstein Perella. He was not handed a finished product. He was handed a foundation and told to build. Named CEO in 1995 at the age of 33, David Simon became one of the youngest CEOs of a major publicly traded company in America.
What he built from there is genuinely staggering. At the time of his passing, Simon Property Group owned or held interests in more than 250 properties comprising over 200 million square feet across North America, Europe, and Asia. That is not a real estate company. That is a global institution, and one man’s vision made it that way.
A Legacy That Goes Far Beyond the Balance Sheet
As many great leaders are, he was known to be intense and even volatile at times, but he’ll be very hard to replace. That quote from a retail industry analyst says everything. David Simon did not run a comfortable room. He ran a winning one. His extraordinary intellect, relentless drive for excellence, and unmatched strategic vision transformed a privately held family business into an esteemed global institution, creating billions of dollars in value for shareholders along the way.
And he never stopped pushing forward. During a November 2024 earnings call, Simon insisted that the mall is once again gaining relevance as younger consumers rediscover its value. “The mall continues to be a unique gathering place,” he said. “We’re seeing a rejuvenation of the younger consumers wanting to hang out at the mall.” He believed in what he built right until the very end.
The Family Dynasty Carries On
The son of company co-founder Melvin Simon and nephew of co-founder and Indiana Pacers and Fever owner Herb Simon, David Simon built the company into the country’s largest shopping mall owner. Now the torch passes to the next generation. Eli Simon, who began working at the company in 2019 and was named chief operating officer last year, took over as CEO on Monday.
The Simon family said in a statement: “Our beloved husband, father, grandfather and brother poured his heart and soul into building Simon Property Group.” He is survived by his wife Jackie, five children and seven grandchildren. A succession plan had already been carefully prepared, which is exactly the kind of move you would expect from a man who spent thirty years thinking ten steps ahead of everyone else in the room.
