Fitness Guru Richard Simmons Found Dead At Home One Day After His 76th Birthday

Fitness guru Richard Simmons was found dead in his Los Angeles home at age 76.

The death of the beloved Sweatin’ to the Oldies coach was reported by law enforcement on Friday. No foul play was suspected, and authorities reportedly responded to a call from a housekeeper around 10 p.m. that night.

“The world has truly lost an angel,” Simmons’ publicist Tom Estey said in a statement.

Simmons, who has not been seen in public since 2014, posted on social media the morning of his death. He also let fans know that he “never got so many messages about [his] birthday in [his] life” the day before, his 76th birthday.

“I am sitting here writing emails. Have a most beautiful rest of your Friday,” he said in his second-to-last post.

In a story published on Friday, Simmons spoke to People about his birthday plans, saying he would blow out a few candles in celebration. 

“But the candle will probably be on a zucchini. You know, I’m a vegetarian,” he said before revealing he would try “maybe one Pepperidge Farm Milano cookie.”

“I am grateful that I’m here, that I’m alive for another day,” Simmons told the outlet. “I’ll spend my birthday doing what I do every day, which is to help people.”

Simmons was born in 1958 and raised in New Orleans. He began working odd jobs at just eight years old to help his parents financially. As a child, he was overweight and teased by his classmates about his size. By graduating high school, he weighed in at 270 pounds.

Simmons decided to slim down upon receiving a note on his car windshield that read, “Fat people die young; please don’t die.” He began an unhealthy binge eating diet that resulted in the loss of 112 pounds over two-and-a-half months, landing him in the hospital after his kidneys malfunctioned.

He moved to Los Angeles in the 1970s and sought to educate himself about healthy diet and exercise. In 1975, he opened a health food store and exercise studio, Ruffage and Anatomy Asylum, which quickly garnered the attention of celebrities and catapulted Simmons to fame.

Simmons became a fitness icon, releasing five books and producing over 50 workout videos. He hosted weight loss cruises, taught classes from his Slimmons studio in Beverly Hills and appeared on talk shows.

Despite his success, Simmons became reclusive in 2014 after making his last public appearance in January of that year. He initially said he was taking time off to treat a knee injury but was never seen again. Simmons called the Today show in 2016 to ease public concerns by saying he was healthy.

“You haven’t seen the last of me. I’ll come back, and I’ll come back strong,” he said.

In February 2017, a podcast entitled Missing Richard Simmons was released, putting Simmons back in the spotlight. Simmons was not affiliated with the show.

In January 2024, Simmons used social media to blast an unauthorized biopic about his life. 

In March 2024, Simmons took to Facebook to announce his diagnosis of basal cell carcinoma. The cancerous cells were removed, and the guru was not known to have suffered any other medical complications throughout the last few months of his life.

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