Trigger warning: This article mentions death.
Renowned fitness star Richard Simmons has died at the age of 76. The famous fitness personality, who had appeared on several talk shows such as Late Show with David Letterman and The Howard Stern Show, breathed his last a day after his 76th birthday, which he reportedly celebrated at his Los Angeles residence, according to USA Today.
Celebrated suitability Teacher Richard Simmons dies But 76
TMZ reported on Saturday, July 13, that law enforcement received a call from the housekeeper around 10 a.m. with no indication of foul play. Richard Simmons’ longtime publicist, Tom Estes, confirmed his death to People magazine. He said, “The world has truly lost an angel.”
According to Estes, this was a huge loss in Simmons’ life. He once told People about Simmons, “He has saved millions of lives. For 40 years, he took care of everybody else except himself.”
As recently as Saturday morning, Simmons was active on social media despite not having appeared in public since 2014. He noted in his last post that he had received several birthday messages the previous day, which would have been his 76th birthday.
In an interview with the aforementioned magazine, Richard Simmons said he appreciates living another year: “I’m grateful that I’m here, that I’m alive for another day. I’ll spend my birthday doing the same thing I do every day, that is, helping people.” He intended to spend it helping others as he does every other day.
All About this life And legacy Of Richard Simmons
Milton Teagle ‘Richard’ Simmons was born on July 12, 1948, to vaudeville performers and raised in the New Orleans French Quarter. From childhood, Richard did a variety of odd jobs so that his family could live a good life. By the time he finished high school, the obese Richard weighed around two hundred and seventy pounds and was often bullied by classmates because of this.
Shortly before this time he had received an anonymous letter warning him about the dangers of obesity. As a result, he lost 12 pounds in two months due to an unhealthy diet, which led to his hospitalization.
Upon moving to Los Angeles during the seventies, Richard studied nutrition and also opened a health food store/exercise studio called Ruffage and Anatomy Asylum in 1975. It became popular among celebrities. Thus, four decades later, Simmons has become an icon in popular culture about fitness, writing bestselling books, making videos with exercise instructions, and even hosting weight loss cruises.
In early 2014, Simmons withdrew from public life as he recovered from a knee injury. He made his last public appearance in January 2014 and taught his last class in February of that year. However, despite these actions, he reassured the public during a call to the Today Show in 2016 that he was healthy and just needed some time off.
In the years following the incident, Simmons suffered a number of health problems, including being hospitalized due to dehydration in June 2016 and suffering from extreme indigestion in April 2017. This led to speculation about his whereabouts, which eventually led to the creation of the Missing Richard Simmons podcast (February 2017).
Simmons lived in a house with Teresa Revels, who served as his housekeeper; he also maintained contact with his older brother Lenny.
Lenny confirmed that he was content living there because he cooked every day, regularly tended his garden and also fed the hummingbirds. He told the outlet, “He’s doing exactly what he wants to do. It’s not like he’s doing absolutely nothing and staring blankly into space, because he’s not.”
However, in March 2024, Richard announced a cancerous growth on his skin, which he said was successfully treated. He also apologized for the misleading information on the previous post where people thought he was dying, but instead he wished everyone to embrace life more vibrantly like him.
Richard Simmons will be remembered for his wonderful personality and unwavering commitment to helping others. Estey described him as a worldwide treasure who had a tremendous impact on the lives of many through his fitness work and dedication.
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