Richard Simmons, television’s hyperactive court jester of physical fitness who built a mini-empire in his trademark tank tops and short shorts by urging the overweight to exercise and eat better, died Saturday. He turned 76 on Friday.
Los Angeles police and fire departments say they responded to a Los Angeles house where a man was declared dead from natural causes. Neither provided a name, but The Associated Press matched the address and age to Simmons through public records.
TMZ was first to report his death, which has also been reported by other outlets citing unnamed Simmons representatives.
The fitness guru stepped away from the spotlight 10 years ago but had stayed in touch with his fans on social media and shared updates about his life.
He just celebrated his 76th birthday on July 12. He posted on Facebook that it was a day where he’d never received so many messages about his birthday in his life.
In a rare interview, he told People Magazine ahead of his birthday that he was grateful to be here and was “alive for another day.”
“I’ll spend my birthday doing what I do every day, which is to help people.”
Richard Simmons workouts
Simmons began his career in fitness when he opened a gym in Los Angeles in the 1970s, and rose to fame in the ‘80s and ’90s with his workout videos, “Sweatin’ to the Oldies,” and flamboyant personality and costumes.
He was a frequent guest on daytime and late night shows, and routinely advocated for health and exercise.
Simmons’ YouTube channel even released previous recordings of older workouts to encourage people to stay active during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021.
Simmons had big plans for the year ahead. His representative told Fox News Digital he was working on a Broadway musical.
Richard Simmons skin cancer
In March, Simmons revealed to his followers he had been diagnosed with skin cancer.
He took to Facebook to detail the moment he found out about the diagnosis and the procedure he underwent in an attempt to remove the cancer cells.
“Missing Richard Simmons”
Simmons removed himself from the public eye in 2014, and his absence inspired the popular podcast “Missing Richard Simmons” in 2017.
The podcast sought to investigate the reasons behind Simmons’ so-called “disappearance.”
In 2017, Simmons’ longtime manager Michael Catalano told the Times that while the podcast contained many “mistruths,” it did make younger people aware of Simmons.