Richard Simmons, a notorious fitness instructor from the 80’s known for his charismatic personality, flashy outfits, short shorts, and fitness videos, died a day after his 76th birthday.
It was reported that Simmons had fallen in his bathroom and was found the morning of the 13th by his housekeeper, according to law enforcement. Law enforcement received a call at 10 AM Saturday and pronounced him dead at the scene. There is no suspected foul play at this time. The cause of death is considered natural by law enforcement.
Simmons’ death comes a day after he celebrated his birthday and finally gave an interview after disappearing from the limelight for over a decade. “I feel good! I am grateful that I’m here, that I am alive for another day. I’ll spend my birthday doing what I do every day, which is to help people,” Simmons said.
Richard Simmons Career
Richard began his career in the fitness world after opening his gym in Beverly Hills, California, which focused on those interested in losing weight. Richard Simmons was unlike the other fitness gurus at the time. His flamboyant personality and slender physique helped draw in the average viewers at the time. He stood out from the huge muscles and typical manly personality of bodybuilding fitness stars of the 80s by showcasing his upbeat personality, which motivated all sorts of viewers around the world.
He opened a series of gyms and later began The Richard Simmons Show as a result of how popular his fitness routines became for his clients. The Richard Simmons Show ran from 1984 until 1989 and won Daytime Emmys for Best Direction and Best Talk Show. He made an estimated amount of 160 million from sales of his popular weight-loss plan.
Early Life
Richard Simmons was born Milton Teagle Simmons on July 12, 1948, in New Orleans, Louisiana. Simmons grew up in the French Quarter of New Orleans with his show-business parents, Leonard Douglas Simmons Sr., who was a master of ceremonies, and Shirley May, who was a fan dancer, and older brother, Leonard Jr.
Simmons was diagnosed with asthma at the age of 3, had to use medication, slept with a vaporizer and used an inhaler. Simmons also had food sensitivities, which he ignored, and he had to deal with his father not believing his asthma was real. He began to overeat as a child and weighed 200 pounds by the 8th grade. “I was the fattest kid in school, fattest kid in the neighborhood and I was always told I would grow up to be a big fat zero,” Simmons said.
In the 60s, Richard Simmons had moved to Florence, Italy where he began to star in commercials for grocery stores. At this time, someone had left him a “mean” anonymous note about his weight, and that was when he began to look back at his weight struggles. Simmons believed after he lost 137 pounds that fitness and motivating others was what he needed to do in life, and he focused on that until he sadly passed away on July 13.
Popularity
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Simmons became extremely popular thanks to his fitness videos like “Disco Sweat”, “Sweatin’ to the Oldies”, and the way he preached exercise, diet, and kindness.
The fitness star even began acting and appeared as himself in “General Hospital”, and “Real People” along with being involved in “Hercules: Zero to Hero”, “What Women Want”, and many more.
Not only was he involved in films, but he also published healthy eating cookbooks while continuing to privately provide communication to his fans who needed help. Although he was a popular public figure in fitness, he never stopped trying to help others and would send audio messages to those who sought out his aid.
Disappearance From The Spotlight
Despite Simmons’ popularity, he shied away from the spotlight, and his last public appearance was in January 2013. Simmons even had a welfare check called on him in 2017 and had to later issued a statement that he was fine and wanted to be left alone.
Simmons’ focus was still on helping his fans, but he was also wanting to focus on himself and his business. The fitness star had a knee replacement, which resulted in him wanting to stay home. However, after dealing with more knee problems, Richard Simmons was told he would have to undergo another knee surgery, or he would not be able to exercise, which sent him spiraling into depression.
Simmons ultimately did not have the knee surgery according to the documentary “What Really Happened to Richard Simmons” and he was left needing a cane. Simmons decided to leave the spotlight before he was deemed an “old man” instead of the flamboyant fitness guru he had always been known as.
Last Day Alive
Richard Simmons spent his last day alive celebrating his birthday on July 12th. Simmons sent out motivational emails to his fans and looked forward to his plans to help those who needed him.
Simmons lived his life the way he preached and never forgot where he came from. The fitness star believed his life was a crusade, and he was meant to help everyone reach their true happiness through fitness and eating healthy.
“This is what God wanted me to do until he takes me to that little aerobic studio in the sky,” Simmons said.
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