Simon Property Group CEO David Simon Dies at 64
His son Eli Simon will take over as chief executive and president of the mall giant
By Isabelle Durso March 23, 2026 9:42 am
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David Simon, chairman and CEO of Simon Property Group, has died at the age of 64, the company announced Monday morning.
Simon, who for more than three decades led the Indianapolis-based real estate investment trust (REIT) that became one of the nation’s largest owners of malls and shopping centers, died March 22 after a long battle with cancer.
“Our family is deeply grateful for the tremendous outpouring of love and support we have received from across the globe,” the Simon family said in a statement. “Our beloved husband, father, grandfather and brother poured his heart and soul into building Simon Property Group.”
The board of Simon Property Group — which owns or holds interests in more than retail 235 properties in the U.S. and in the fourth quarter of 2025 posted funds from operations of $1.328 billion — had prepared a succession plan to follow Simon’s death. As part of that, the board appointed Eli Simon, Simon’s eldest son, as the REIT’s CEO and president. Eli Simon will also continue in his current roles as chief operating officer, director and executive vice president.
In addition, Larry Glasscock, formerly lead independent director at Simon Property Group, has been appointed as non-executive chairman of the board.
“On behalf of the entire board of directors, we extend our deepest and most heartfelt condolences to the Simon family,” Glasscock said in a statement.
Simon started his business career as an investment banker specializing in leveraged buyouts and M&A activity. He took over the family business as CEO at age 33.
“David Simon was, quite simply, the finest leader in the history of the retail real estate industry,” Glasscock said. “His extraordinary intellect, his relentless drive for excellence, and his 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.”
Indeed, Simon was one of the biggest boosters for malls and for brick-and-mortar retail in general in an era when the former seemed doomed and the latter appeared to be permanently diminished by e-commerce. But that fourth-quarter 2025 performance, for instance, represented an uptick in business shared by Simon and other retail-focused owners.
Simon is survived by his wife Jackie; their five children: Eli, Rebecca, Hannah, Sam and Noah; and seven grandchildren.
Isabelle Durso can be reached at idurso@commercialobserver.com.
