Richard Simmons, renowned for inspiring overweight individuals to get active and adopt healthier eating habits, passed away on Saturday.
Simmons, famous for his vibrant tank tops and short shorts, brought boundless energy to television as the lively court jester of physical fitness. He turned 76 on Friday.
According to an email from Richard Simmons’ publicist Tom Estey to The Associated Press, the fitness guru passed away at his Los Angeles home. “We lost an Angel today – a true Angel,” Estey said.
A spokesperson for the Los Angeles Police Department confirmed that officers responded to a 911 call from Richard Simmons’ home on Belfast Drive and arrived at 9:57 a.m. on Saturday.
“Upon arrival, one rescue ambulance discovered a 76-year-old male who was pronounced deceased on-scene by firefighter/paramedics due to apparent natural causes.
“As a result, no hospital transport was necessary,” LAFD Captain Erik Scott said.
Just two days before his passing, Richard contemplated his aspirations for his legacy.
“I never thought of myself as a celebrity. People don’t know this – I’m really a shy person and a little bit of an introvert,” he told People.
“But when that curtain goes up that’s a different story. I’m there to make people happy.
“But the accolades I get from emails. I mean, today most probably, we’ll answer over 100 emails.
“And they’ll say, ‘I’m your No1 fan’, and I just write back, and I say, you know, ‘Don’t say that because I’m a human being just like you. And I know that you do good things, too.’”
Simmons’ brother, Lenny Simmons, confirmed the death in a statement.
“I don’t want people to be sad about my brother,” Lenny Simmons said. “I want them to remember him for the genuine joy and love he brought to people’s lives.”
“We are in shock,” Lenny added. “Please respect the family at this difficult time.”Tom Estey, Simmons’ longtime publicist, said in a statement, “Today the World lost an Angel.”
A day before his sudden passing, Simmons celebrated his 76th birthday and took to the social media to thank everyone for the birthday wishes.
“Thank you…I never got so many messages about my birthday in my life!” Simmons wrote. “I am sitting here writing emails. Have a most beautiful rest of your Friday.”
He signed the post “Love, Richard.”
Simmons, who grew up in New Orleans, battled weight issues from a young age, tipping the scales at nearly 200 pounds by age 15. By the time he graduated from high school, he weighed 268 pounds, as documented on his website.
From 1980 to 1984, he hosted the Richard Simmons Show that focused on personal health and fitness.
He also gained fame through his aerobic exercise videos, such as 1988’s Sweatin’ to the Oldies and its sequels in 1990 and 1991.
Simmons expanded his early success with frequent appearances on various TV shows, ranging from The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson to game shows like Match Game and The New Hollywood Squares. He became a staple of late-night television during the ’90s and 2000s, appearing on shows hosted by Jay Leno and David Letterman.
Throughout the years, Simmons sold millions of workout videos. He owned a Beverly Hills exercise studio and restaurant frequented by celebrities like Barbra Streisand and Paul Newman.
Following his recent withdrawal from public life, during which he disclosed a skin illness in March 2024, speculation about Simmons’ health and well-being had circulated. His death was initially reported by TMZ.
We are so very sorry for this loss. May he rest in peace.
Prince William is ‘beside himself’ as Kate Middleton allegedly considers terrible decision with tremendous ramifications
A new bombshell report claims Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales, is considering stepping down from her royal duties entirely.
As per a Palace insider who spoke to the National Enquirer, Kate still hasn’t made the decision but she keeps pushing back the date when she’ll return to public life because the pressure she faces from her royal life has taken a toll on her.
“Kate’s desperate struggle with the constant pressures of life in the royal fishbowl has clearly taken a terrible toll on her physical and mental health,” the senior palace source was reported to have said.
“She spent weeks staying out of the public eye after her operations — and it’s only strengthened her resolve to quit,” the source added.
This has allegedly rocked her marriage to Prince William and the monarchy.
According to the same source, William is “beside himself” about Kate’s potential departure.
“William is beside himself over her decision,” the source stated, as reported by Radar Online. “He can’t believe his wife would ever consider such a move.
“He made sure she understood what she was getting into when she married him, and she did an excellent job. He is afraid that she has grown emotionally unstable, but she argues that she is now seeing clearly!”
Another source said, “Kate’s disillusioned and frustrated by the ongoing drama surrounding her renegade brother-in-law, Prince Harry, and his wife, Meghan,” Radar Online shared. “But ironically, they’ve shown her there’s an alternative to being trapped in The Firm.”
The source added: “She knew when she married William her life would change forever, but never in her wildest dreams thought it would be this intense!
“Kate had a hard time when she first joined the family but after a few years assumed she’d gotten through the worst of it.”
The Palace being unusually quiet regarding Kate’s health condition sparked rumors over the severity of her condition.
What we know so far is that she won’t be returning back to her royal duties until Easter and that her schedule is completely cleared up.
Given the fact that her recuperation is taking months, and that her whereabouts are kept a secret, it doesn’t come as a surprise that many question how serious her procedure was.
Recently, TMZ shared the first photo of Kate after her surgery in January. She could be seen wearing classes while inside a car with her mother. Some speculated that the photo was staged, but other believed that if that was the case she would have posed outside of the car.
On Mother’s Day, Kate and William shared a photo of her with her children on their X account, but the photo was soon pulled by numerous news agencies amid suspicions that the it had been “manipulated.”
The Princess took to X to explained that she had self-edited the image before posting it online.
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