Richard Simmons, the legendary fitness guru and media personality, has died at the age of 76.
According to TMZ, Simmons was found dead at his home in Hollywood Hills on Saturday (July 12th). A cause of death is under investigation, but no foul play is suspected. Citing law enforcement sources, TMZ reports that Simmons took a fall on Friday night, which may be connected to his passing.
Simmons had just celebrated his 76th birthday on Friday. In a Facebook post shared to his personal page earlier on Saturday, Simmons wrote, “Hello gorgeous! Please don’t rain on my parade.”
Originally hailing from New Orleans, Simmons initially began his career in the physical fitness world when he opened a gym and health club in Beverly Hills, California. He rose to fame thanks to his energetic and flamboyant personality and workout attire, as captured in his popular aerobic video series Sweatin’ to the Oldies. He also became popular guest on television talk shows including Late Show with David Letterman, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and The Howard Stern Show. In 2008, he put his support behind a bill mandating non-competitive physical education in public schools as a part of the No Child Left Behind Act.
Beginning in 2014, Simmons retreated from the public spotlight. This led to numerous media reports and concern over his well-being, such as a widely read 2016 story in the New York Daily News. For his part, Simmons assured fans that he was fine and just “wanted to be a little bit of a loner for a little while” after injuring his knee.
Earlier this year, Pauly Shore confirmed that he is set to play Simmons in an upcoming biopic, which Shore believes “could save lives.”
