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Fans and friends of Richard Simmons are paying tribute to the legendary TV fitness instructor following his death aged 76.
The beloved fitness guru passed away at his home on July 13. TMZ On Saturday, it was reported that his housekeeper had contacted police around 10 a.m. Simmons was pronounced dead at the scene. The cause of his death was not immediately known and has not been announced.
The television personality, who rose to fame for her popular aerobic video series, Sweating to the sound of the old ones – celebrated her 76th birthday on Friday by thanking her fans on social media. “Thank you… I’ve never received so many messages about my birthday in my life! I’m sitting here writing emails. Have a lovely rest of Friday,” the post read. “Love, Richard.”
Following the news of his passing, many Simmons fans and friends took to social media to pay tribute to the fitness guru.
“Richard Simmons preached exercise, diet and, above all, kindness,” said Richard Roeper, film and television critic for the The Chicago Sun-Timesin X. “He had a positive impact on thousands and thousands of lives. I am one of the hundreds and hundreds of people on television who enjoyed his energy and gladly accepted those crazy hugs. Rest in peace.”
Hair spray Star Ricki Lake posted a photo of herself with Simmons and fellow TV host Maria Menounos, along with the caption: “My heart is broken over the loss of this super special human being. May he rest in peace. #richardsimmons I loved him so much.”
Radio and TV personality Sally Jessy Raphael paid tribute to her “dear friend” on X, captioning a photo of them together: “I'm completely devastated by the loss of @theweightsaint… we've done so many shows together, shared so many laughs and hugs, and I considered him a dear friend who changed so many lives over the years.”
Actor Emerson Collins posted on X: “I am saddened to hear of the passing of Richard Simmons, a man whose joy in what he did made him accessible to so many.”
“Years ago I asked for a photo after we performed at a charity event. It came out so bad with the green room wall that I cropped it out and used it to make a nonsensical story,” he wrote alongside a hilarious series of green screen photos of him and Simmons.
Darren Demeterio, who worked as a former booker for the Late Show with David LettermanShe came to X to share her own experience with Simmons during her numerous appearances on the late-night talk show.
“When I was working in Man of letters “I always looked forward to Richard Simmons appearing,” he captioned an old photo of himself with Simmons. “He was always a great guest, but more than that, what you saw was always what you got. A sweet, positive, kind man. This photo will always make me laugh. Thanks Richard, rest in peace.”
Simmons became a fitness sensation in the 1980s, shortly after opening a fitness studio, called The Anatomy Asylum before it was renamed Slimmons, in Los Angeles. He made many memorable appearances on television and radio talk shows, including the Late Show with David Letterman, The Howard Stern Show, General Hospital, The Larry Sanders Show, Arrested Development and Whose line is this anyway?.
However, it was her series of high-energy aerobic videos that launched Simmons to celebrity status.
Simmons had not made a public appearance since 2014, prompting him to give a telephone interview to Today in 2016 to dispel rumors that he was being held hostage by his housekeeper.
News of her death comes months after Simmons revealed she had been diagnosed with skin cancer.
“I sat in his chair and he looked at it through a magnifying mirror. He told me he would have to scrape it off and put it under a microscope. I’m getting a little nervous now,” the fitness star wrote on Facebook in March. “He comes back about 20 minutes later and says the C word. ‘You have cancer.’ I asked him what kind of cancer and he said, ‘Basel.’” [sic] squamous cell carcinoma. I told him to stop calling me names. He laughed.”
Earlier this year, Simmons denounced a new biopic about her life starring comedian Pauly Shore. She clarified that she had not signed on to the project and reiterated her desire to “live a quiet and peaceful life.”
